Beauty and the Beast II
by Eule-II
Summary: Once there lived a huntsman who was spoiled, selfish and unkind. In his arrogance and vanity he nearly brought about his own demise. He was spared from death by an enchantress, who cursed him. Until he learned to love selflessly he would remain a beast.
1. Chapter 1

Beauty and the Beast II

"Cogsworth!"

The head of staff bolted up from his chair. He'd been playing cards with Chip Potts, the head of the kitchen, when he'd heard his name being called.

"Sounds like someone needs you." said Chip folding his deck and pushing in his chair. The young man was accustomed to bellowing by now having lived with a particular royal family for as long as he could remember. Chip Potts had grown up to take his mother's place in the kitchens, it had surprised many as the man was tall and well built with striking blue eyes and a very handsome face. Running the castle kitchens had seemed like the last thing a twenty-six year old man would want for himself. But Chip had rebuffed all offers from his master to work a higher position; claiming instead that he liked the coziness of the atmosphere.

"Yes she bellows almost as loudly as her father." said Cogsworth shaking his head. "I'd better go before she gets really loud."

"COGSWORTH!"

"To late." said Chip with a grin. "Got quite the set of lungs hasn't she?"

Cogsworth was already gone. He made a mad dash down the hall and to the young princess's chamber. He made it there in just under five minutes, an impressive feat for someone of his age and weight. Now gray and rather rotund, he found himself longing for retirement. Working for the young princess proved to be nearly as demanding as working for her father had been.

"You called you're highness?" he asked as he poked his head into her room.

"Twice now, are you going deaf Cogsworth?" Princess Lynette folded her arms and glowered at him. She was a tall girl of seventeen with long coppery colored hair and a dark stare that struck fear into the hearts of all of the servants when it was cast upon them. Now that particular brown eyed gazed was fixed on the unfortunate Cogsworth.

"No, your Grace, I was merely occupied -a trivial matter I assure you, you have my complete attention when ever you need it. I-"

"Stuff it Cogsworth, you know what day it is?" Lynette narrowed her eyes at him and drumming the fingers of her left hand against her right arm.

"It's Wednesday, your Highness?" he offered hopefully.

"Yes and what is supposed to happen on _Wednesday_, Cogsworth?" Lynette's brows pinched together in irritation.

The majordomo mopped a bit of sweat from his brow with his handkerchief. _Wednesday...Wednesday..._Sudden realization struck him.

"You're parent's are coming home?"

"Yes, Cogsworth, they are expected back home at ten this evening. You're a punctual fellow...aren't you? You know how to manage your staff...don't you?" the young Princess continued to glower at him as she spoke.

Cogsworth fidgeted uncomfortably. "Yes, of course I am."

"Then why is no one preparing dinner for tonight? It's seven o'clock already..."

"I can assure her Highness that all will be ready for the King and Queen upon their arrival. I will waste no time in-"

"Well get a move on it already!" Lynette shouted.

Cogswoth scurried back to the kitchen and began dishing out orders as though his life depended on it. When it came to Princess Lynette she was her father's daughter through and through.

Two hours later Chip left the kitchens to tell Lynette that dinner would be ready by ten exactly.

"Good, I don't want Mother and Father thinking I can't handle the castle while they're away." said Lynette.

"You certainly have a tight grip on things." said Chip.

He was Lynette's senior by nearly nine years and even so he was just the head of the kitchen staff, as his mother had been before him, she thought of him as an older brother figure in a way.

"Do you think I was to hard on Cogsworth? I saw the time and got nervous; maybe I shouldn't have yelled." she said chewing her lip.

"_Bellowed_ was the term Cogsworth used. You should try to keep that temper in check." Chip said his tone was pleasant but there was a note of sternness to it.

Chip Potts was by far one of the nicest people in the castle, he was noted for his cheery demeanor and even temperament. Lynette would have loved to know where all of that infinite patience came from. She also wondered why a tall, blond, good-looking young man who was well into his twenties had never married...but she never had the nerve to ask him.

Lynette had the good grace to look sheepish. "I guess I should work on that..." she said.

Chip grinned. "As long as you mind that temper you're a very nice girl. But the bellowing isn't necessary. We _will_ listen to you, you know." he patted her shoulder.

Lynette sighed. She was just trying to keep things in order. "How's your mother doing?" she asked hoping to change the subject.

"She's alright, she doesn't want much more than to be made warm and comfortable. I'm glad I took over heading the kitchen staff. She's just not up to handling that kind of work any more." Chip replied.

Mrs. Potts was indeed very old and fragile but her mind was still as sharp as ever and she had an excellent memory. She had often told Lynette stories when the Princess had been a small child and every now and again Lynette would visit her in her rooms to give her a bit of company.

Further conversation was interrupted when the maître d', Lumière, announced the return of the King and Queen.

In their twenty years of marriage they seemed to have aged very little. True Belle's bright eyes held a few creases at the corners and Adam's reddish-blond hair was lightening at the sides, but there was still a youthful and ageless quality to the pair that seemed to defy time.

Belle quite glad to be home, she and her husband didn't often leave the castle or their daughter alone for long but this time they'd had to go and visit a kingdom in Germany on the request of the German Queen. Adam didn't understand a word of German, thankfully Belle had read a book titled _How to Speak German_ and so she'd been able to take care of the conversations.

Lynette rushed to greet her parents, both of whom held out their arms to her.

"I see you kept the place in order while I was away." said Adam giving her an approving smile.

"I told you not to worry about anything. I arranged for dinner to be ready when you got home." Lynette said as she hugged her mother. "Did you bring anything interesting back from Germany?"

Belle shook her head. "No, we didn't have time to do any shopping or sight-seeing." she said. "Come on then, let's go and eat I'm sure your father is hungry."

Adam gave a nod of agreement. "That I am. Tired to, I think dinner and then off to bed." he said stretching.

They had their dinner in the same fashion as usual, a warm and comfortable affair with much talking and joking among them and then as the evening wore on all of residents of the castle retired to their beds. None of them were even aware that a strange creature was making his home in the forest just outside of the castle grounds...

* * *

The Beast swept a large, black, furry, paw over a pile of leaves to inspect an animal track. Judging from the the size and shape of the hoof print it belonged to a wild boar. It seemed fresh too, hopefully this meant that he'd have his dinner sooner than later. He sniffed at the track to capture the scent, it was strong, the animal couldn't have passed this spot more than an hour ago. He stood and followed the trail with remarkable stealth for such a large creature. Within the hour he had the boar in his clawed hands and was sinking his long, sharp teeth into it's neck feeling the satisfying crunch of bone as he bit down.

when he had finished his meal he wandered to a nearby river to wash the blood from his paws and face. He stopped to look at his reflection in the water. Hulking and bearlike in stature with a leonine face and curling ram's horns protruding from his temples he was terrifying to behold. _Ugly creature_...he thought swiping angrily at the image. He'd been handsome once, a long time ago although, he knew not exactly how long it had been. He was unchanged by time and he had long since stopped measuring the years. He'd grown used to life as a beast, as long as he stayed out of sight he found that it didn't matter what he looked like. Animals didn't care if he was ugly and animals had been his only company in the long years since the enchantress had turned him into a beast.

His tusk torn lips twisted in an ironic grimace. One day he was handsome and adored, the next he didn't dare show his face. The witch had told him that only when he learned to love could he break his curse. But who could he love if he was alone? It seemed that it was a hopeless case. He left the river and returned to a small cave he'd been calling home lately. His possessions were meager, a pile of skins for his bed and some lanterns pilfered from nearby villages...and an old rusted blunderbuss from his days as a human.

He no longer needed the gun, he hunted with his claws and fangs, but he had kept it anyway. To remind himself of better days when he'd been the greatest hunter in the village.


	2. Chapter 2

Lynette was up early the next morning as she often was. As was her usual custom she took her breakfast to the library. It was quite a library at that, momentous shelves extended to the ceiling containing almost every tome ever written, it was here that Lynette sought her sanctuary. She found castle life boring and reading provided the only escape. Her mother has instilled in her an appreciation for literature that had stuck with her, although, while Belle preferred romantic stories Lynette loved tales of mystery and adventure. She found the romance dull and predictable and decidedly lacking in gore and gruesome horror. She grabbed a book off of the shelf and curled up in one of the overstuffed chairs.

Chip knew he would find her in the library. She spent most of her free time there seeking respite from the tedium of everyday life. He was not disappointed. Seated in her usual chair she was absorbed in some adventure story or another. Brushing his thick, blond bangs from his forehead he crept up to her with every intention of giving her a fright.

He tip-toed to the chair and reached out a hand to tug at a stray lock of her wavy, coppery hair...

"Chip! There you are my boy! I've been looking for you."

A slender man with white hair and a large smile poked his head through the door of the library. It was Lumière, the jolly but sometimes rebellious castle maître d'. Although he was by no means a young man age had not slowed him a bit. Chip groaned inwardly and let his hand fall.

"What can I do for you Lumière?" he asked with feigned cheeriness.

Lynette looked up from her book. " What are the two of you doing here?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I am here because I need to talk to Chip about dinner arrangements, we are having guests this evening." Lumière replied sauntering in and putting a hand on Chip's shoulder.

"Guests? No one mentioned guests." Lynette narrowed her eyes. Why didn't any one ever tell her things?

"What do you mean guests? The Master and Mistress just got back, surly they don't expect company do they?" Chip rubbed his chin as he regarded Lumière with mild confusion.

"That's why I need Chip, he has to help me make the preparation's right away." Lumière said seizing Chip's arm and dragging him outside before Lynette could ask questions.

Well that, was suspicious. "Wait! Both of you come back here this instant and tell me what is going on! That's an order!" she shouted. But both servants were already far enough away that they could safely pretend that they didn't hear her.

Once they were out of earshot Chip rounded on Lumière. "What's all this about guests and why can't we tell Lynette?" he demanded looking down at the much shorter man.

"Because she'll be furious if she finds out what her parents are up to." hissed Lumière, looking back and forth to make sure no one was listening. He seized the collar of Chip's shirt and pulled him down so that he could whisper into his ear.

"Her father had found her a suitor, while they were in Germany the son of the King and Queen expressed interest in Lynette and he made arrangements to come down as soon as possible. The Master agreed that Lynette is of a good age to marry and decided that the German prince is a good match. I like romance as much as anyone in this castle-"

"You like it more than anyone in this castle." interjected Chip.

"Will you be quiet and listen? _Mon dieu_, this is bad news. How do you think Lynette's going to react when she finds out her parent's are trying to set her up with someone? Further more how do you think this Prince will react when he get's a face full of her temper? It's going to be a disaster!" Lumière shook his head. "I don't know who could put up with that girl to be honest. She's absolutely terrifying at times."

"Oh, she's not all that bad. True she has a short fuse but she can be really sweet." said Chip. He was a bit disturbed by this news. He'd known that Lynette would have to marry someday. He just hadn't thought it would be so sudden and so unsettling.

Lumière gave him a look of bemusement. "Do you have feelings for her?" he asked.

"I know my place." was the curt reply.

"But when it come to _L'Amour_ there is no such thing as status." said Lumière very much intrigued by the thought of Chip and Lynette becoming a couple.

"Forget it Lumière." said Chip pulling away from the aging romantic and heading for his kitchens. " It will never work."

"Love has strange ways of working things out..." Lumière said to himself as he watched the young man's retreating back.

* * *

Lynette was irritated that no one seemed to know who this guest was, but no matter she supposed it wasn't her concern anyway since they were more than likely more boring royalty coming to chat it up with her father. She slipped into a pale green dress and tied her long hair back with a ribbon. When she was satisfied with her appearance she went down stairs to greet the guest like any good princess. The trip from her room to the dining hall was a long one since her bedroom was all the way in the west wing, but she made it in under fifteen minutes without breaking a sweat. She was good at that sort of thing by now as the castle was quite huge and long walks were a part of her everyday life.

When she arrived at dinner she was surprised to see that the guest was a young man about her age. He smiled at her and stood giving a low bow. She looked from her parents to the stranger. He was eyeballing her like she was a particularly nice bit of merchandise. He was boyishly good looking with chocolate brown hair and brilliant green eyes in his youthfully handsome face...he was _too_ good looking for all this to be coincidental. She put two and two together and came to a truly displeasing conclusion...

"Who's this?" she demanded lifting her chin and regarding him haughtily. She didn't actually care who he was but she wanted to see what kind of excuse her father would make.

"This is Prince Dietrich, from Bavaria. Your mother and I thought he'd be a good companion to you." said Adam, he turned to the Prince. "This is my daughter Lynette."

"Pleased to meet you." Dietrich said, even his voice was beautiful. Melodic and clear. The King and Queen had certainly gone to some lengths to impress their daughter with a pretty Prince to court her. She was _not_ amused.

Lynette scoffed. Without a word to anyone she turned away and strode over to the double doors, she yanked them open, walked out and slammed them shut with as much force as she could muster.

While Belle apologized to the very perplexed German Prince, Adam stomped off after his daughter.

"LYNETTE!" he roared pounding on the door to her room.

She didn't answer and her door was locked.

"LYNETTE! You come out of there this instant!"

"NO!"

"COME OUT HERE RIGHT NOW OR I'LL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR!"

"GO AWAY!"

Adam took a deep breath..._must control my temper_...

"Lynette." he said forcing himself to calm down a bit. "Come out here and talk to me, I am your father do as I say."

Silence...

"LYNETTE!"

The door opened, Lynette glared up at him, daring him to continue.

"Lynette you will go back down and apologize to our guest."

"I will _not_ marry him."

"Don't start with me..."

"I WILL _NOT_ SEE HIM!"

Adam let out an aggravated growl. "Just give him a chance, you might like him."

SLAM! The door was, once again, shut and locked. Adam let out a frustrated sigh and went to find his wife, maybe she'd have better luck...

Bell had about as much luck as her husband had, although she'd had considerably less shouting. After about an hour of unsuccesful coercion the King and Queen decided to go to bed. Bell sat back and opened a book while her husband ranted.

"She's acting like a complete brat Belle! I don't know what to do with her..."

"Maybe we should have been upfront with her about Deitrich."

"I doubt that would have helped... she's so stubborn..." He began to pace, as he was apt to do when he was perturbed or deep in thought.

"Why don't you come to bed dear?" Belle asked patting his side of the bed.

Adam wasn't listening. "...and she's prideful..." he absently pulled his hair out of the ponytail he'd been wearing. "...and that _temper_..."

"Three guesses where she got that..." muttered Belle.

"I don't know Belle, maybe it would do her good to send her away for awhile. To a boarding school maybe."

Belle shut her book. "I think we should talk to her first." she said. "She's a teenager and teenagers tend to be temperamental."

"Like that?" Adam gestured at the door as though Lynette were on the other side. "I don't think I've ever met anyone that highly strung."

Belle's eyes widened. "Really? You have no idea where that kind of behavior comes from? Think back about twenty years or so when you were still a beast..." she folded her arms across her chest.

"Surely I was not _that_ bad."

"You might have been worse..."

"No!"

"Oh, yes."

"It doesn't matter! She could still learn a thing or to at a school for young women or maybe a convent where people won't be afraid to stand up to her." Adam slapped his fist against his palm emphatically. "I'll send a letter out tomorrow and see if anyone will take her."

To tired to argue Belle rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket over her head. She knew he wouldn't actually go through with it. He was always rash when he was angry, it would be better to talk to him in the morning when his temper had cooled.

Little did Belle and Adam know that Lynette had been standing right outside their door. She had been thinking to apologize but after hearing that all thoughts of apology vanished from her mind. They wanted to be rid of her? Fine! She'd show them! She turned on her heel and made for the kitchens. She would pack some food and grab a horse then be on her way. Her intention was to get to the town on the other side of the forest and lay low with her grandfather Maurice for a bit, just long enough to make her parents think twice about being rid of her...


	3. Chapter 3

Chip was in the kitchens trying to console the chef. Chef Bouche had been working at the castle for nearly fifty years and Chip would have thought that by now he'd have been used to having his food go to waste. Considering that no one could live in a house with Adam and Lynette and not expect some form of mayhem at least once a week, it usually went without saying that dinners were left untouched quite regularly.

"I work and slave over a hot stove all day and my masterpiece goes to waste." Chef Bouche lamented throwing his hands up.

"Come now, it's not all that bad." said Chip patting his back. "You should know by now that these things happen around here."

Chef Bouche tsked and wandered off to the back for a stiff drink. Chip could have used on himself and was about to join him but the German prince walked into the kitchen. Chip looked him over. Dressed in a dark green waistcoat, white shirt and black breeches he cut an impressive figure. He looked much out of place within Chip's kitchen.

"What can I do for you?" asked Chip feeling a bit self conscious of his own, somewhat worn, clothing.

"I was wondering if you could tell me something about the young princess." said Dietrich. "I have no intention of giving up yet, not after coming all this way."

"Well, I can tell you right now she's stubborn and if she doesn't want to talk to you she won't. Speaking of young, you don't look much older than she does." Chip knew he was being abrasive, there was something about this man he didn't like. He'd failed to impress Lynette so why didn't he leave already?

"I'm nearly twenty. What has that to do with anything? I need a wife and I like what I saw at dinner even if she was angry." the Prince shrugged nonchalantly at Chip. The servants around here were a shade more stand-offish than people of their stations had a right to be, in his opinion. " I will do my best to win her."

Chip's brow furrowed. What had the Master been thinking? Certainly this man was handsome but there didn't seem to be anything remarkable about him. Of all the people in the world Chip would have thought Belle and Adam to be the last to judge on appearances. What was going on around here?

* * *

"He's a fop! There's no way he could ever be fit for Lynette." Chip ranted. "I think the Master's lost his mind."

He was in his mother's chamber bringing her dinner to her as he always did now that Mrs. Potts was to old to wander around the castle anymore. Chips mother looked over her spectacles at him. Her white hair was tied up in a bun and even so her face was wrinkled with age her blue eyes gleamed as brightly as ever.

"Now love, there's no need to carry on like that. You've only just met this Prince. For all you know he could be a very nice young man." said Mrs Potts sipping her tea.

"Somehow I doubt it." grumbled Chip.

"Oh I see..." chuckled Mrs Potts.

"See what?" asked Chip fixing his mother with a puzzled look.

"I don't think it would have mattered what kind of man Belle and the Master invited over, you'd have disliked them all."

"I am not jealous if that's what you're implying, Mama." he said. He sighed and knelt in front of his mother's rocking chair, taking her hands. "Well maybe I am just a bit. I've known Lynette all her life and I don't want someone taking her away just yet. Am I selfish?" he asked.

"No love, you're a good boy and I'm very proud of you." said Mrs Potts squeezing her son's hand. "I know you and the young Miss are close and it's only natural that you'd feel sad if someone took her away. But you know dear..." her tone became soft and soothing. "She is a princess and she will have to marry someday. Things don't stay the same forever." she brushed a lock of his thick blond hair from his face.

"I know, I just wish they didn't have to change so soon." said Chip standing and kissing Mrs Pott's cheek.

Mrs Potts watched her son go. Had so much time really gone by? He was so tall, it had seemed like yesterday when he'd been a little boy without a care in the world and now he was a grown man and soon he would probably start his own family. At least she hoped it would be soon, she wanted grandchildren and she certainly wasn't getting any younger...

* * *

Lynette had little difficulty sneaking out and grabbing one of the horses. The castle was huge and she knew it like the back of her hand. Once she had fitted on a saddle and some reigns she rode into the forest. The sun was beginning to set and soon her mother or father would be looking for her. Unconcerned with any potential danger she proceeded to follow the worn trail.

It wasn't long before the princess came upon a fork in the road. "Damn, I forgot the path split here, do I go left or right?" she wondered aloud. She didn't have much time to think for a rabbit darted in front of her horse. Spooked by the sudden movement the horse reared up and threw it's rider. Lynette's head struck the ground rendering her unconscious. With a loud neigh the horse turned and fled back to the castle, leaving it's injured mistress to the mercy of the forest.

The Beast was hunting when he heard the noise. The sound of a horse and a woman's cry. Curiosity drove the Beast to investigate what instinct told him to ignore. Moving silently through the woods he crept closer to the source of the noise. There was a girl lying on the ground. Judging from the cut on her brow and the hoof prints around her he would have guessed that she'd been thrown from her horse. His common sense would have told him to leave before she woke up and started screaming. But there was something disturbingly familiar about the girls face. He went for a closer look. She had strong features for a girl, high cheek bones and a stern brow, but she was not unattractive and there was something in the tilt of her nose, the from of her soft jaw and the shape of her full lips that he thought he recognized.

She stirred, the Beast though to hide but he found himself rooted to the spot as the girl opened her eyes and stared straight at him.

The first thing Lynette saw when she regained consciousness was a pair of sky blue eyes. They would have been quite nice indeed had they not belonged to a large black furred monster...


	4. Chapter 4

Chip and the rest of the castle staff spent most of the evening searching for Lynette. She wasn't in her room, or the library, or the kitchens or the courtyard. It wasn't until one of the horses was found wandering around on the grounds that they realized she had tried to run away. Without a moments haste a search party was organized and they began to comb the forest.

* * *

Lynette let out a gasp and scrambled backwards. She'd never seen anything like this hulking creature before. The face was lion-like in shape but with a longer muzzle and great teeth sticking up over the lips. Two short tusks protruded almost to the Beast's chin and long ebony horns like those of a ram curled outward from his temples. He had thick black lustrous fur and as he stood on his hind legs to get a better look at her she noted that he was slightly hunched and bowlegged. He reached out a long arm that ended in a clawed appendage that was something between a hand and a paw. She cowered.

"Don't eat me!"

To her shock the monster's heavy brows lifted in a recognizable expression of confusion and worry.

"I wouldn't eat you." he said.

He spoke...the beast _spoke_. Lynette wondered if she was dreaming, perhaps that fall from her horse had addled her wits. She remember from her childhood all of her mother and Mrs Potts stories of enchantment and people being turned into beasts. She had always thought it was all fairytale. She thought back to the conversation from her parents she had heard mere hours before. _Twenty years ago when you were a beast_...she had thought her mother was speaking figuratively but now she wondered if it was all true.

"Don't scream." the Beast said holding up his paws. His voice was deep and rough but he was speaking softly so as not to frighten her.

"I won't scream." Lynette was to bewildered to be offended by the implication that she was afraid. "What do you want from me?" she asked. She figured if he was going to attack her or harm her he would have done so while she was unconscious.

The Beast made no reply. What did he want from this girl? A thought came to him. What if she could break his spell? But the enchantress had said _he_ should be the one who learned how to love. He rubbed his chin this girl was indeed beautiful, he could probably love her. The way the curse worked probably meant that she had to love him in return, the Enchantress had been pretty vague about her directions. Well, he'd had no trouble getting women to fall in love with him when he'd been human. He might not have his stunning good-looks anymore but he still had a winning personality and a mountain of talent to back it up! She'd see past his exterior in no time. He straightened and made a low bow.

"I would like you to be my wife." he said.

...He was kidding, right? Lynette didn't know whether to laugh at him or run for the hills. "Is that a joke?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, I know I look like a monster but I can promise you there's no one like me in all the world. Give me a chance and I'll prove it to you." said The Beast.

"I'm going to leave now. I won't tell anyone you're here but you would do well not to cross me in the future." said Lynette backing away from him.

The Beast was a bit dismayed but not all that shocked. Time for a back up plan. He grabbed the girl and ran off through the woods with her. This was probably the only chance he'd get to make a girl fall in love with him and he wasn't about to let her run off. He clapped a paw over her mouth to keep her from screaming and took her deep into heart of the forest. If people came to search for her they would never find her.

* * *

"Why would she run off like that?" asked Belle looking through the library window as though her daughter might walk back onto the grounds at any moment. Adam paced frantically behind her.

"I don't know,you don't think she over heard us talking about sending her way do you?" his brow was knit in concern. "Oh Belle this is all my fault. I didn't mean what I said." he buried his face in his hands. Bell turned and put her arms around him.

"It's not your fault. We should have talked to her about the Prince. This could have been avoided if we had been more open with her." she said.

"It's to late now, I hope we find her. It's nearly winter and the days are getting colder. She won't last in the forest alone for long." Adam held his wife and prayed that his daughter would come home before the weather turned icy.

* * *

The beast had taken his captive back to his cave. While he did not believe that kidnapping was the best way to win a girl's heart she hadn't exactly left him much choice. She hadn't taken it well. The minute he put her down she let loose a string of obscenities the likes of which he had never heard before. When she had calmed down sufficiently to give him a piece of her mind she made sure he knew that she was displeased.

"How _dare_ you! I'll have you know that I am the daughter of the King and Queen and if you don't take me back to the castle right now I will make you into a rug! Do you understand me? I will not stand for this dammit! I-"

"SHUT UP!" the Beast roared covering his ears. _Good grief_. what a nasty temper. He'd have a hard time with this one.

Lynette fell silent. She suddenly remembered that her kidnapper was a giant beast with huge claws and teeth. Perhaps it was not wise to antagonize him while she was trapped in his cave. She looked around. It was small and the only signs that anyone lived here was a bed of skins some, candles, lanterns and an old rusted gun. The gun puzzled her, surely a beast wouldn't need a gun, but there it was just the same.

"Do _not_ yell at me. I have no intention of hurting you but I won't take any outbursts got it?" The Beast glared at her.

Lynette heaved a sigh and nodded. She didn't know how to get back to the castle and it seemed her only hope for survival was this monster. She'd have to wait and come up with a plan or hope her family found her. She had a feeling it was going to be a long wait.

"What is your name?" asked the Beast attempting to get things on a more civilized level.

"Lynette, what about you? Do you _have_ a name?" she asked. If she was forced to be stuck here with this creature she may as well get to know him a little better.

The Beast looked affronted. "Of course I have a name! I'm a man after all." He folded his arms across his furry chest. He lowered them again with a sigh of resignation. "Not that it makes much difference out here whether I have one or not, for now just call me Beast." he said.

Lynette wrinkled her nose at him. He certainly didn't look like a man. "I will not marry you, you know." she said. "So there's no point in keeping me here."

"You say that now but you'll see in time that I'm the man of your dreams." said Beast smugly. Confidence was key and if he was charming enough she'd fall for him. The question was how did he fall in love with her? She was a brat. Sure she was beautiful but that kind of attitude wasn't attractive on anyone much less a young girl.

"You're awfully full of yourself for a kidnapping hairball." Lynette snorted. "What makes you so sure I'd like you? You haven't exactly ingratiated yourself into my good graces."

"I know you think I'm some horrible monster but let's face facts, Princess, you wouldn't have come to me of your own free will and I don't run into pretty young women everyday. Would you really have given me a chance to prove myself to you?"

Well he had her there, she wouldn't have ever given him the time of day, much less agreed to a marriage proposal. That still didn't change the way she felt about him.

"Well haven't impressed me yet. If I don't get home soon my family will come looking for me and then you'll be sorry." Lynette tossed her hair and gave him a look of contempt.

"I wouldn't count on it, soon it will be to cold for search parties to wander through this forest and I just so happen to be the worlds greatest hunter. I know a thing or to about covering my tracks and staying out of sight. I've been in wandering in and out of these woods for years and you're the first person whose seen me. No one will find you without my help." said Beast smirking down at her. "But to show you that I'm not such a bad guy I promise that if you don't fall in love with me by spring I'll take you home myself." it was a gamble he knew but this could be his one shot at being a human again.

Lynette weighed her options. She didn't think he'd go so far as to hurt her. She didn't really have much of a choice. Besides, her parents had wanted to send her away, well, being gone for a few moths should satisfy them. She didn't relish the idea that she'd be stuck with an arrogant beast but she supposed she could tough it out. With any luck the time would pass quickly and she'd be home again in no time...


	5. Chapter 5

Adam had the servants search the woods for days. They found no sign of the princess. Chip remained outside searching long after the others had given up. At length he too had to return to the castle. As the first snows of winter fell upon the land he found himself unable to search for his dear friend. The German Prince had decided to stay, he had offered to help with searches and now that it was getting to cold to travel long distances safely he remained at the castle, much to Chip's displeasure. It was going to be a long winter and with each passing day there was a little less hope that the Princess would return.

* * *

For her part Lynette was regretting the decision she had made to run off. Aside from being stuck with a beast she knew her parents must be worried. She would have liked to at least let them know that she was alright. But it was to late for that now, she'd just have to accept that there were consequences for her actions. The Beast seemed to sense that she was unhappy and he tried to cheer her up and take her mind off things by telling her of his adventures, first tales of his travels as a human and then his misadventures as a beast. He never told her exactly how it was he came to be a beast. The circumstances of that event were very painful for him, and he even felt a bit ashamed of some of them, so he omitted that and his name from all of his stories. For the most part the beast and the princess got along but Lynette had a feeling he was hiding something and she was determined to find out what.

It was evening, and it was snowing, as it had been for several days now. She knew that all she had to look forward to this evening was another one of Beast's glory tales. The black furred monster sat himself down in front of a small fire he'd built in a pit he'd carved off to the side of the cave floor. He had discussed moving to an abandoned cabin he'd found not far from the cave as soon as the snow eased up. She hoped the snow let up soon, this cave was so tiny she couldn't stand it much longer.

"Say Lynette, do you want to hear about the time I-"

"Have you ever been in love?" Lynette cut him off before he started his story.

"What makes you ask?"

"You've told me so much about all the things you've done but you've never mentioned love, not even once. Why is that?" she asked. "Was there never a girl you liked?"

"There were plenty of girls, I had my pick of them, they're just not worth talking about."

"So you never had feelings for anyone." It wasn't a question, her tone was almost mocking and he flinched at the harshness of it. "You had a pretty empty life." she added carelessly.

Beast fell silent, his expression had become grave and sorrowful. She didn't know how right she was. When he spoke again his tone was distant as though he were telling someone else's story rather than his own.

"There was one girl. It was a long time ago, I was twenty five and she was about your age. She didn't love me, and I suppose on reflection I didn't actually love her either, not the way I should have. I wanted her. I thought I loved her and maybe to an extent I did, but it destroyed my life...and hers."

Lynette gaped at him. Up till now she hadn't thought of him as anything more than a slightly boorish and somewhat simple kind of person. She hadn't thought him the type to consider things deeply at all or express any kind of emotion but arrogance. But he looked so very _sad_. As though he knew that what he had done could never be undone.

"I think that's enough talking for tonight. I'm going to sleep," Beast turned away from her and curled up on his pile of furs.

Lynette wanted to press him for details but thought better of it. Perhaps things were better left alone for now.

* * *

Chip stood in the library staring dejectedly at the snow piling up outside of the window. Foolish, hard-headed Lynette, how could she have done this? Didn't she know her parents were frantic? Didn't she think her friends would miss her? What about him? Hadn't she known that her oldest friend would be hurt if she ran away? He expected that she hadn't meant to disappear completely. Usually if things got a bit hot at the castle she'd take refuge with her grandfather but there had been no sign of her there either. She'd never gotten to the village.

"Why did you have to run off alone?" Chip groaned aloud turning from the window and flopping into the chair she would usually have been occupying.

"Because she's young and foolish and the Master's daughter."

"Lumière? Why are you here?" Chip asked turning, it wasn't just Lumière, Cogsworth was sniffling into a handkerchief right behind him.

"We miss her too." said the slender maître d' sighed, his usual smile was gone, making his face seem even older than it was.

"I can still hear her bellowing." lamented Cogsworth as he dabbed at his eyes. Lumière patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"How are Belle and the Master holding up?" asked Chip. "This must be even harder for them."

"They're holding up as well as can be expected but this castle just isn't right without the Princess." said Cogsworth.

Chip nodded and resumed looking out the window. He knew he still had his duties to attend to but he decided that they could wait for just a few minutes longer. He wanted to think. Cogsworth and Lumière exchanged worried glances. Chip was always so cheerful, seeing him like this was difficult. Everyone was upset over Lynette's disappearance but none seemed more so than her best friend. Lumière jerked his head towards the door signaling to Cogsworth that it was time to leave.

"Do you think she's even still alive?" Adam's voice was rough from his lack of sleep and there were dark circles under his blue eyes. He and his wife were in their bedchamber although neither of them felt that they would be able to get a good-night's sleep again.

"Don't talk like that! We can't give up hope." Belle seized her husband's shoulder and turned him to face her. "I'm just as worried as you are but I haven't given up and you shouldn't either. She's still out there somewhere and there's always a chance that she'll come home."

Adam took his wife's face in his hands. "I pray that you're right, I don't think I could bear it if you were wrong. If only there was a way to find out where she-" he paused mid-sentence his eyes widening as an idea hit him. "Belle! The mirror! Do you still have the magic mirror?" he asked.

Belle blinked. Why hadn't they thought of that sooner? She nodded. "Yes, it was recovered from Gaston when he came to storm the castle." She walked over to the dresser and pulled the mirror out of the bottom drawer. They hadn't used it in years, there had never been a reason until now. Belle handed Adam the white and silver hand mirror. Adam stared at his reflection for a long minute.

"I'm afraid of what I'll see..." he said.

"It's better than not knowing." Belle sat beside her husband on the bed and put her hand over his. "On the count of three...one...two..."

"Show me Lynette!" They cried in unison.

They were much relieved to see that Lynette was alive and, as far as they could tell, safe...until they saw who she was with.

"Adam...is that a..._Beast_?"

"So it is..."

"Why? I mean I thought you...I thought you were the only one." Belle pushed a lock of hair out of her face. This was quite puzzling, had their daughter been abducted by a beast? She seemed safe so perhaps he wasn't going to hurt her. Still, Belle found it unsettling.

Adam was at a loss for words. It had never occurred to him that the Enchantress would cast her spell on another poor soul. "I think I know what's going on." he said. "The beast probably took her so that he could break his spell." he let out a curse. "If only this Mirror could show us the location, but the damn thing doesn't work that way!" he snarled.

"You don't suppose he'd hurt her will you?" Belle asked anxiously.

"He doesn't seem to have harmed her yet. She doesn't look to frightened either so I'm guessing she's not in danger. Bah!" Adam flung the mirror away suddenly. Luckily the object was shatterproof and it bounced harmlessly off the wall. " As soon as spring hits I'm going to go and get her back one way or another! I won't stand for having my daughter the prisoner of some beast!"

"Now you know how Papa felt." muttered Belle.

"That's hardly the same thing!" Adam snorted indignantly.

"Is it now? What was it you said to me? Something like. "You must promise to stay here forever! Roar!"" Belle made short clawing motions with her hands.

Adam scoffed. "It all worked out in the end! And as I seem to recall you ran away anyway, right into a pack of wolves!"

"If you hadn't frightened me I wouldn't have run away!"

"Well you shouldn't have been in the...wait haven't we had this argument before?" Adam said scratching his head.

"I think we did, years ago but that's beside the point. How can we judge this beast? You did exactly the same thing. I don't like that he kidnapped our daughter any more than you do but this situation could be much worse." said Belle.

Adam sighed. As usual she was right. He supposed he could sleep better knowing that Lynette was still alive and, for the time being, safe.

* * *

Beast slept fitfully that night, his dreams were filled with flashes of his past and the night he had become the beast he was now it started with a cold, rainy, fall to the bottom of a ravine. He had fallen into a river and his battered body had washed up on the bank where he had lain bleeding out his life onto the rough sedimentary ground. Then, just as he thought he would die, a there was a bright light and a beautiful woman stood before him.

"As one spell is broken another will be cast...a curse upon you until you learn once and for all what it means to love. Until the spell is broken you will remain a beast."

There was a blinding flash and the woman was gone, he was a monster.

With an earsplitting roar Beast woke from his nightmare. Lynette was standing just off to the side, her brown eyes were wide with fear and concern. Beast raked a his claws through the fur on his head in an imitation of a man combing back his hair. He composed himself and addressed her.

"Did I wake you?" his deep voice trembled ever so slightly and his paws were shaking but for the most part he appeared calm, or so he hoped.

Lynette could sense that he was rattled, and the sadness she had seen earlier was again evident. He acted carefree and arrogant but she was beginning to suspect that deep down things weren't as simple for him as he pretended. When she had met him it had seemed that he just walked through life undaunted and un-phased by any kind of set backs. Where was all of his unwavering confidence now?

Lynette nodded. "You were having some kind of bad dream, are you alright?"

He was touched that she was concerned, she hadn't shown any inclination towards friendliness to him and he was beginning to worry that she wouldn't ever do so. He smiled and patted her head with his large paw.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about me, I'm not afraid of some silly dream." he gave her a wide smile and lifted his chin a bit.

Lynette batted his paw away with a scoff. There it was, it seemed his smugness never left him for long. She still couldn't help but feel sorry for him, he didn't seem like a terrible person even if he was full of himself. What ever had happened in his past seemed to weigh heavily on him even if he pretended it didn't. She wondered if she could get him to open up to her before she went home in the spring.


	6. Chapter 6

The snow had stopped falling by the following day and Beast had decided that if they were going to move to the abandoned cabin now was the time. He packed his things into a large sack and took his gun in his paw.

"Why do you carry that thing?" asked Lynette. The gun was quite old and rusted to the point of uselessness, why would he keep such a thing.

"It's important to me," replied Beast.

He said no more than that and Lynette could see that he wouldn't give her a reason if she pressed the issue so she let it drop. She was about to ask him how far this cabin was when she was suddenly handed a large fur cloak.

"It's cold out, you'll need that," beast said as he put the last of his belongings into his bag. Beast himself wore nothing, as he was so furry that the cold didn't affect him he simply did without clothing, but that hadn't stopped him from collecting pelts and skins to sleep on and whatnot.

Lynette secured the cloak around her shoulders and followed Beast out into the snowy forest. She was glad to be leaving the cave, it was to small for more than a single person and she would be pleased to be somewhere where she could have a bit of privacy and, if at all possible, a bath would have been more than welcome. She shivered a bit and pulled the cloak more tightly around her self as a cold blast of wind hit her full in the face.

"So how far is this cabin?" she asked, trying not to loose her footing in the snow drifts.

"It's a little ways deeper into the forest." Beast made sure to watch his pace so that he walked on all fours with his sack strapped to his back beside her rather than moving to far in front of her. He didn't want to lose track of her, even with his superior tracking ability it would be difficult to find her in all this snow if she got lost.

"Have you lived in this forest long?"

"I come back here off and on, mostly I wander around trying to keep out of sight. People wouldn't take well to seeing a big hairy monster wandering around, hell if I'd seen me when I was a human I'd have mounted my head on my trophy wall."

"Where are you from? I mean you had to have lived some where as a human."

"I used to live in the village not far from here, it's part of the reason I keep coming back. I want to be close to home."

"How did you end up a beast? Is it a spell?"

Beast paused his walking and looked at her. He tilted his head to the side and gave her a look of scrutiny. "How did you guess?"

"I heard stories from my mother and father about an Enchantress who turned a prince into a beast," replied Lynette.

Beast knit his brow and shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah...it's a spell and there was an Enchantress involved, what's it to you?"

He was getting defensive, Lynette could sense that this was a very touchy subject but she refused to walk on eggshells for this Beast.

"So I'm guessing you need me to fall in love with you so that the spell will break. I hate to tell you this but it's not that simple," she said.

"Why not? You're a pretty girl and when the curse it broken I'll be a very handsome man," said Beast

"...and?"

"I'm the greatest hunter in the world," offered Beast

"I'm a princess, I live in a castle and I have servants. Why would a hunter, even a good looking one, do me any good?" she asked icily.

"I'd be a good husband," Beast muttered stubbornly.

"You have yet to do anything that I find remotely impressive, you're arrogant and boorish and all you have to offer is handsome and good hunter."

She was being a bit more blunt than she had intended but she was not very pleased with him as it was so she did not bother to guard her words.

"Well what do you want from a man?" asked Beast.

Lynette thought about it for a minute. The first thing that came to mind was Chip Potts, her kind and patient friend. Yes she could love someone like that.

"I think I'd like someone who was cheerful and gentle, but very fun-loving and understanding. Like my friend Chip back at the castle."

Beast was not amused. This Chip sounded like a real milksop. But then he did live in a palace, probably a noble too. he wondered about the Princess's parents. He'd heard a King and Queen now occupied the castle just to the north of the forest, but he didn't know much about them. He'd been unable to bring himself to go and investigate the castle. It was a place he would have liked to forget.

"What's it like to live in a castle?" asked Beast in an attempt to change the subject.

"Sort of boring and routine. It's luxurious, don't get me wrong, and I'd love a hot bath and proper meal that isn't deer. It get's old quickly though and most days I just go to the library and read," replied Lynette.

She liked to read, somehow that didn't surprise him. It did trouble him a bit though. The more time he spent with her the more she reminded him of someone he didn't like to think about. Someone from long ago whom he had wronged terribly out of a jealous rage. He'd ruined both his life and hers in one stupidly desperate act.

"What's wrong? Why have you gone all silent all of a sudden?" asked Lynette.

"I don't like to read...I never really did. I was difficult for me to learn when I was in school."

He hated to admit that he actually bad at something. His teachers had criticized him harshly about his inability to keep up with the other children and in the end he'd just managed to learn enough about reading to know how. He hadn't excelled in the classroom like he had everywhere else and being bad at anything hurt his pride. So he had decided that reading was a waste of time. So why did he always seem to have this attraction to females who could do something he was bad at?

"I don't think that's quite it," said Lynette.

What was it that was bothering him so much? He didn't just seem sad, there had been guilt in his blue eyes.

"It's none of your concern!" snapped the Beast.

"What did you do to get yourself cursed?" demanded Lynette.

"What makes you think it was something I did?" the Beast snarled standing on his hind legs and looming menacingly over her.

Lynette refused to be cowed. She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him.

"I've heard stories about Beasts before, the Enchantress casts her spell to teach the man a lesson of some kind. Why would some one put a spell on you for no reason anyway?" she demanded.

"IT'S NOT YOUR BUSINESS!" he roared.

Lynette cringed and backed away from him. Now she was afraid, and she decided that it was time for her to be silent. Beast sighed and sank back onto all-fours.

"Come on, the cabin is just up ahead," he said.

She followed him in silence the rest of the way. She could tell that he was still angry but she didn't know what to say or how to address him. It always seemed that just when she started to make progress she would touch a raw nerve and he'd close himself off to her. She'd have to learn to be patient with him, not something she was good at, but she would do her best.

The Beast had almost wanted to confide in her, to tell her to full truth. He knew it would be pointless, though. She's only see him as even more of a monster and then he'd never win her heart. How would she react if she knew that his last act as a human had been to stab someone out of jealousy for a woman he had thought he loved? Fool that he had been he had let his obsession with a girl cloud his judgment and turn him into a villain. Now he was a monster on the outside, and perhaps to a degree he deserved it. He only hoped he wasn't completely beyond redemption.


	7. Chapter 7

Belle and Adam reported the news to the staff the very next morning. Every one was quite relieved to hear that the princess was alive but they were all, to some degree, wary of this strange Beast that seemed to be keeping her company. People spent a lot of time speculating about his identity and his origins but, of course, no one had a clue. Prince Dietrich found it quite odd and more than a little unsettling that the revelation of a giant creature wandering around in the forest didn't provoke more than mild surprise from the castle's inhabitants. He decided to ask the head of the kitchens what was going on.

Chip was surprised to see the Prince in his kitchen again. Mostly the young man just kept to the guest quarters and the library but he could see from the expression on Dietrich's face that he wanted to ask him something. He folded his arms and waited.

"Why is no one troubled by the presence of a monster in the forest?" asked Dietrich.

Chip shrugged. "Beasts are nothing new around here," he said. He didn't want to go into to much detail, it wasn't a widely known fact that King Adam had once been a beast and Chip didn't want to be the one responsible for spreading rumors.

Dietrich stared at him, it must be a French thing...who on earth could rationally be calm about a big, black monster?

Chip had to admit that he got a little satisfaction out of seeing the German rattled. He knew he shouldn't feel so pleased to see him unnerved but he was. All this time Dietrich had been running around the castle asking everyone all about Lynette, What her hobbies were, what she liked to do in her spare time, even her favorite food. The more he found out the more interested he seemed. Chip hoped that as soon as all of ice and snow melted enough for travel he'd be gone but it seemed more and more unlikely. The worst part of it all was that everyone in the castle seemed to like this man. He was charming, he was handsome and he was clever. Even Cogsworth was impressed with him. Frankly it made Chip feel a bit sick...

"You French are certainly a different breed," said Dietrich half admiringly half incredulously.

"Actually my mother and I are English, so is Cogsworth. We came here a long time ago looking for work," said Chip. To his surprise Dietrich looked sheepish.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you." said the Prince. He didn't much care for young Mr. Potts but he didn't want to make any enemies.

It was Chips turn to look abashed. He hadn't meant to get snappish. "No, it's alright, it's not a bit deal," he said. As much as he disliked the young man he couldn't see that he deserved to be treated disrespectfully. He wasn't really a bad person or anything.

"Look I think you and I got off on the wrong foot," said Dietrich. "The important thing is that the Princess is missing and she needs to be brought back home very soon am I right?"

Chip nodded reluctantly, he didn't want to cause any trouble with this man, but he didn't want to be friends either. He did have a point though, Lynette was more important than their differences.

"If only there was a way to get to her, but the forest is really dangerous in winter, the wolves are hungry because there's less to eat and all of the ice and snow makes the terrain hard to traverse," Chip rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He didn't want to wait for spring, he wanted to find Lynette now. If there had been a way to rescue her he would have done it in a heartbeat. Knowing she was alive and , everyone was hoping, safe just wasn't enough.

"You're right, I would go out there myself and find her if I could. I can't stand the thought of her being out there with that Beast."

Dietrich studied Chip with a look of interest. This man didn't look very extraordinary. He was tall, but his body was slim and his clothing was plain and non descript. He could have been any peasant in the world. But Dietrich had no doubt that he would have risked life and limb to rescue the Princess.

"You have feelings for her," said Dietrich bemused at the idea.

"What about it?" Chip demanded turning slightly pink. Why should it matter? Nothing would ever come of it. Princesses didn't marry people in their staff and Chip had no delusions about the future. That didn't mean he wouldn't look after her though.

"Does she feel the same? Is there anything going on between you two?" Dietrich wanted to know exactly what his chances of winning the Princess were, if there was something going on between her hand the servants...well that might not mean too much, he himself had occasional flings with the maids at his own castle so why shouldn't she fool around with this Chip Potts? As long as all of that stopped after they were married, he didn't mind if people had their fun while they were young and single but he was a firm believer in marriage vows.

"Would it bother you if there was?" Chip wondered if this man was particular about his girls being pure...

"No, not really, as far as I'm concerned as long as she's not mine she can do as she pleases. I won't pretend I don't want her though, she is very beautiful and such spark! Why that day at dinner I don't think I've ever seen a woman with such fire, it was very intriguing to say the least. I'd be willing to do a lot to win her over."

Chip didn't think he could stand another minute of the Prince's company, he made up a brief excuse and left before further conversation could be initiated. He wondered if Lynette had given him a chance at dinner she would have fallen for him. It was not a pleasant thought...

* * *

Adam was in his study pacing in front of the fireplace, it was a habit of his to pace when he was aggravated and he was quite aggravated. He itched to venture into those woods and bring his daughter back, but there was no way he'd be able to face the cold for very long and it was unthinkable for a lone human to try braving the wolves. _If I were a beast I'd have no trouble_...He stopped himself from continuing that thought. He was quite glad to be free of that curse even if it had been useful at times. The waiting was killing him. Waiting for spring so that he could find Lynette and bring her back. He didn't much care what became of the beast. He knew it he should have been more sympathetic to someone suffering as he had but this monster wasn't his concern and damned if he was going to hand his little girl over to a Beast! He would never have her go through what her mother had. His thoughts shifted to Belle, she was taking this harder than she let on. Belle was a quiet sort of person and she tried to keep up good spirits for everyone else's sake while he bellowed and raged over every little thing to vent his frustrations. He wanted this whole ordeal to be done with so he and his wife could have some peace of mind. With a sigh he picked up the mirror and said. "Show me Lynette."

* * *

To Lynette's delight the cabin was dusty from long years of disuse but still fully furnished. There was a table, chairs, cabinets, a stove and even beds. It was a good sized building with four rooms. Definitely an improvement over that cramped little cave.

"Oh this is much better," she remarked to Beast, forgetting that they had argued just moments before.

"Glad you think so," he replied as he removed the sack from his back and began unpacking. "Go ahead and pick one of the rooms, I'll set everything up in here."

He was pleased to be back on friendly terms with her. Even if he wasn't trying to break his curse he would still have liked her. She might not be nice and quiet like most girls but she had spunk and he liked that. For a princess she was also holding out pretty well in this environment. He had to admit he was impressed.

Lynette chose the smaller of the two rooms. She didn't have much, she'd taken a little bag with her when she'd run away but all that had been in it was some food, her comb and three books. If not for the books she may well have died of boredom in that tiny cave. With Beast's reluctance to reveal anything about himself that wasn't flattering she'd had little to discuss with him. After their argument she wanted more than anything to know who he really was and what was so terrible he couldn't share it with anyone. She'd have to win his trust...but how? She sat on the bed and opened on of her books. She was determined to figure it out one way or another.

* * *

Adam put away the mirror, they'd moved to a cabin and Lynette seemed to be just fine. He was relieved, but only slightly. He wouldn't be happy until she was home again with him and her mother. It was going to be a long winter...


	8. Chapter 8

Now that she had her own room Lynette spent less time with the Beast, a development that irked him quite a bit. How was he going to form any kind of relationship with her if she kept to herself? He knew better then to go into her room without an invite. He'd tried that once, she'd thrown one of her books at him and told him to shove off. She could be very touchy at times and he was learning that it took a lot of patience to live with someone like her. Maybe if he offered to do something she would enjoy she'd keep him company instead of reading all the time. He decided to talk to her about it. One morning over their breakfast (meal times were the only occasions they spent any length of time together) he brought up the topic.

"Lynette." he started, confidently. "I can't help but notice how much time you spend reading. You should be paying attention to more important things! For instance..."

Lynette raised a warning eyebrow at him, daring him to finish that sentence. If he said "him," she was going to haul off and punch him.

Beast could see that he was treading unstable ground and he quickly changed his tactics. "...us," he said.

"Us?" echoed Lynette narrowing her eyes suspiciously. _Good God_! He wasn't proposing _again_ was he? If he was, then winter or no winter she was going to try to get back to the castle on her own.

"Yes us, we're here together we may as well make the most of it right? I was thinking we should spend time together and get to know each other. Winter's not even close to over and you can't spend all day everyday all by yourself, it's not healthy!" Beast was rather proud of himself for thinking all of that up on the spot. Some times his own cleverness astonished him. Unfortunately for him Lynette had her own idea about getting to know each other...

"Why I do believe you're right, we've already spent nearly three weeks together we should become better acquainted," she said giving him a sweet smile.

Beast looked quite pleased with himself. He didn't realize that smile meant trouble for him.

"Well I'm glad you see that I'm right, I usually am you know, now here's what we'll do-"

"Hold it! If I'm going to spend any time in your company then it will be on my terms. Got it?"

"What? Hang on a minute who put you in charge? I'm the man around here!" Beast cried indignantly.

"Not exactly," said Lynette coldly. " You are a Beast, further more, you are a commoner. I am the _Princess _if either of us should be giving the other any orders it should be me."

Lynette didn't often use her status for personal gain but if she wanted to keep this Beast in his place then that was exactly what she was going to do. For his part Beast did not like the idea of a woman being his superior, even if she was royalty. But he held his tongue, he did not want to start a fight with her, not now when he was trying to win her over.

"What are your terms?" he asked propping himself up on one elbow and giving a sigh of resignation.

"For every question you answer I will spend one evening in your company. Deny me my answer and I go back to my books. Agreed?" she held out a hand for him to shake.

Beast shifted uncomfortably, what if she asked him something personal? On the other hand, how could she fall in love with him if she didn't spend time with him?

"Agreed." he relented. He made to take the offered hand but as he looked down and saw her pale, delicate hand in comparison to his own heavy, dark paw he drew back hanging his leonine head in shame. What right did a monster have to touch a pretty girl?

Lynette reached over and put her hand on on the paw to show him she wasn't repulsed by him. he hesitated a moment and curled his thick fingers around her hand, making it disappear in his grasp. He gave her a gentle squeeze and released her hand, a sad smile formed on his lips.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"What did you do that you feel so badly about you can't tell anyone?" asked Lynette.

"Of course, you would ask that question." Beast sighted and raked his claws through his dense mane.

"Is is so bad?"

"Yes, remember when I told you about the woman I was in love with?" said Beast.

Lynette nodded as she leaned forward eager to hear more.

"Well, she was in love with someone else, at that point in my life I was accustomed to getting whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it and the idea that the thing I wanted most would belong to someone else made me angry. In my rage I rallied a mob to hunt down her lover and with my own hands I stabbed him, I'm sure he must have died. It was a serious wound. I nearly got myself killed in the process. I was thinking that if I couldn't have this girl no one else could either."

When he had finished his explanation he did not look at her, he looked instead down at the table as though the splintering wooden surface could give him reassurance or absolution. When the heavy silence became unbearable he looked up Lynette's expression was difficult for him to read. Her lips were drawn and her brow was furrowed. She seemed to be studying him very hard.

"That's pretty bad." she said at length.

"Do you hate me for it?"

There was timidity in his voice, mixed into the deep growling undertones. He sounded genuinely regretful, but to go so far as to kill someone because he coveted a woman was reprehensible. Lynette didn't know what to say to him. She was a bit shocked. Speaking with him now, as he was, she wouldn't have thought him capable of such malice. But the guilt and shame in his light blue eyes left her with no doubt that it was true. Part of her wanted to despise him, but only a small part. He could be arrogant and obnoxious but she didn't think she could hate him. Her parents had told her over and over again the importance of forgiveness and that everyone deserved a second chance.

With his head bowed and his eyes downcast he seemed diminished. Like a fire reduced to mere embers. It pained her somehow to see him without his cocky smile or the proud tilt of his head. How could she deny him a chance to redeem himself? He was trusting her not to turn from him, he had confessed and now he was waiting for judgment.

"Well?"

Her silence was unsettling, he had to know! If he couldn't be forgiven for what he'd done then there was no hope. No reason to continue his desolate life. Why wasn't she answering him? Did she hate him? Had he made a mistake in telling her...oh God, was it all going to crash down around him? Would it have been better for him to die from his fall into the ravine?

"No, I don't hate you," was all she said.

There was a long silence and the Beast lowered his head into his paws and wept.


	9. Chapter 9

Having as least some reassurance that his daughter was safe Adam was again able to concentrate on his castle. It didn't take him long to discover that there was something going on between his German guest and head of his kitchens. He intended to find out one way or another just what those two were up to...

Chip had taken over washing the dishes, as Christmas was approaching the were a bit short staffed what with people wanting to go to the town and visit their families while the snow had stopped falling. The road was safe enough for a wagon and few horses. As long as they kept to the trail and in a group the wolves weren't a threat. He set aside the plate he'd been washing and picked up the next dish. He paused and stared at it. A little white teacup. He turned it over in his hand and ran his thumb over a small chip in the rim. What memories, he'd spent ten years as a teacup and when the spell had broken he had returned to being the boy he'd been before he'd been cursed. He'd often wondered why his master had aged and none of the servants had. Perhaps it had to do with the nature of the curse, or maybe magic was a was just magic and it did as it pleased. Either way he'd never been able to look the same way at a teacup again.

"Old memories Chip?"

It was the Master. He was looking at the tea cup in Chip's hand and the somber and thoughtful expression on the younger man's face. His own reflected similar feelings.

"Master, I was just caught up in my thoughts, don't mind me."

"It's alright, I understand you aren't the only one who thinks about the past you know, and what with this new Beast and everything I think most of us are remembering what we were once. Yesterday I caught Lumière staring at a candelabra."

Chip couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. "I was amazed at how well he seemed to breeze right through it all, like it didn't phase him, he doesn't look like much but he got a strong heart. Master why did you come here? It wasn't just to talk about old times."

Adam nodded. "I came to find out what's going on between you and our guest," he said.

"Nothing, what makes you think anything's going on?" said Chip trying to look as innocent as he could.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Chip, do not lie to me," he growled.

Chip swallowed uncomfortably. He'd forgotten for a moment if there was on person who's temper was worse than Lynette's it was her father's.

"I think he's interested in Lynette..." he mumbled.

Adam gave a satisfied nod. "Well, after that incident at the dinner that's a miracle. I had hoped to introduce them and have them fall in love over time but with all of this Beast nonsense it doesn't seem likely. Still it's good to hear that there's hope-why are you making that face?"

Chip's cheeks had taken on a red flush and his teeth were gritted, the teacup in his hand was shaking. Adam wondered if he was feeling quite well...

"I'm alright Master...I want what's best for the Princess, like everyone does." Chip managed to say through his clenched teeth.

"Chip, _what_ is wrong with you?" Adam demanded.

"Nothing, everything's fine Master, I need some air is all." Chip put the cup down and quickly walked into the hallway.

Adam watched him go, frowning as he tried to figure out what was brewing between Chip and Dietrich. When ever he happened to see the two they were always watching each other's every move as though each were afraid to turn his back on the other. When they spoke to each other they seemed amiable enough but there was always an amount of tension in the air. He didn't understand it. Dietrich was a gentlemen through and through and Chip was as kind and gentle as his mother was. On what grounds could those two possibly dislike each other?

He asked the other servants what was going on and none of them seemed to know anything. Except Lumière who gave him some vague prattle about love and it's deep mysteries. Try as he might he could not get the man to give him an answer that didn't sound like so much poetic nonsense. He was forced to give up before his wrung someone's neck.

He decided to talk to Belle, she usually knew what was going on with the servants even if he didn't. It irked him though, he was the King for Christ's sake! He should have to go running to his wife to ask her what was going on in _his_ castle. Dammit all! What the bloody hell was he King for if he wasn't on top of things? He stomped off to his room letting out random expletives as he grumbled to himself.

Belle was in the library reading when she heard the sound of a suit of armor crash to the ground in the hallway. The noise was followed by copious amounts of loud swearing and she knew it couldn't be anyone but her husband. When he came storming into the library his coppery hair was hanging loosely in his face and there was a vein throbbing in his temple.

"You might want calm down before you give yourself a stroke, dear," she said.

"There's something going on between Dietrich and Chip!" he cried. "No one in this castle seems to know what, and anyone who does have an idea won't give me a straight answer," Adam flopped down in a chair with a huff. "Am I the King around here or not? Maybe I've been to soft on them all these years..."

"Chip has feelings for Lynette, he has for a long time and he feels threatened by Dietrich," Belle said flipping a page in her book.

Adam gaped at her. "How'd you find all that out?"

"I talked to Mrs. Potts."

"You talked to Mrs. Potts...wonderful," he groaned. Why hadn't he thought of that?

"I didn't realize Chip was in love with Lynette and you know how much she's always liked him. If we'd known this before we left we wouldn't have needed to invite Dietrich here," said Belle, truth be told it would have made her very happy to have Chip as her son in law, not that there was anything wrong with the Prince, but Chip was so pleasant and gentle. He'd be a perfect balance for Lynette's temper, at least that's how she saw it. Her husband didn't quite share her sentiments.

"Chip? You actually think a _servant _is the right choice for our daughter? He's a great boy and we all like him but be realistic Belle, he's not King material and who ever Lynette marries will have the throne," he argued.

"But what if they love each other? Lynette wasn't thrilled with Dietrich."

"She never gave him a chance, when she gets to know him better she might like him. He's a decent kind of man and I'm sure the only thing between her and Chip is a mild infatuation, girls her age get them all the time and Chip's pretty young himself. It's nothing."

"I was the same age she was when I fell in love with you, don't brush it off because she's young," said Bell. Her husband was coming dangerously close to sleeping on the couch...

"That was different,"

"_How_?"

"We were more mature," said Adam.

"Really? You were mature. You weren't much different from the way she is now."

"She's a young girl, it's different with girls, they aren't as capable at coping with things as boys are," Adam knew it was a feeble argument. At this point he was just trying to save face. Judging from the look his wife was giving him he'd said the wrong thing.

"Adam, I will not tolerate sexism! Girls and boys are not that different and you didn't seem to be coping with your situation very well at all."

Adam sighed. "Look I'm tired of arguing, Chip is not marrying Lynette and that's final!" he growled as he stood and stormed out of the room.

Belle slammed her book shut. She loved her husband but God he was infuriating at times. She knew if she waited for him to cool off she's have a better chance of making him see reason. As soon as Adam closed the door Bell heard a CLANG, and her husband shouted:

"GOOD GOD! WILL SOMEONE PICK UP THIS DAMN ARMOR?"

Dietrich had been heading toward the library when he'd heard the clamor. He stopped in his tracks, sighed, shook his head and turned around. He was starting to wonder if he wanted to marry into all this chaos...


	10. Chapter 10

Beast had gone hunting and Lynette had been left alone. She sat at the windowsill gazing wistfully at the snow outside as if she'd find answers there. She'd spent much of her spare time thinking about Beast's confession, it was confusing, she was appalled that he could ever have been so malicious but at the same time she couldn't quite believe that the person she was staying with was the same person in his story. Being that she could not come to a conclusion of any kind about her mixed feelings she let her mind wander and eventually her thoughts gravitated to her friend Chip. She missed him now as she had never missed anyone before. He was always so calm and levelheaded, he could have helped her sort things out. She sighed, if only she'd stayed at the castle instead of running off like a little kid throwing a tantrum, she could be in Chip tidy kitchen having lunch and discussing the last book she had read. Still, she couldn't entirely regret ending up with Beast, she did want to help him, just not marry him...not under any circumstances.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a sharp knock sounded at the door. Thinking it was Beast she hopped up from her spot and went to answer it. She was quite surprised to find that it wasn't him at all but an old woman in a dark cloak. She was small and slightly hunched and she looked so frail that it seemed a gust of wind could have toppled her. Lynette wondered how she'd found her way out here.

"Goodness, you must be freezing why don't you come in! These woods are huge and there's not a town for miles."

Lynette opened the door wide enough to allow the old woman entry.

"Thank you kindly deary, these old bones could use a rest by the fire."

"I would imagine so, what on earth are you doing all the way out here?"

"I came to find you my dear, it's been twenty years and that Beast still hasn't broken his curse, it's become very clear that without help he never will," said the old woman easing her self into a chair. "I don't suppose there's any tea around here is there?" she asked

Lynette shook her head. "I'm afraid not, just water. I can offer you some rabbit soup if you like. Do you know Beast?"

"We go back, I don't know if he'll recognize me though and I don't plan on staying long enough to meet up with him again."

"You can't mean to go back out there in the cold! At least stay the night and I'm sure Beast won't mind if you take one of the furs with you, he had dozens of them."

The woman smiled and Lynette noted the most peculiar twinkle in her oddly bright green eyes.

"Such hospitality, you didn't learn that from your father, or maybe you did. He learned in ten years what seems to be taking your Beast twice as long."

"You know my father too? Who are you?"

"I'm an old peddler woman, I've been every where and I'm very old, I meet a lot of people in my travels."

Lynette was sure there was much more to her story than she was letting on but she didn't press the matter. There was something uncanny about this old crone that was for sure.

"You didn't come here by accident did you?" she asked.

"Smart girl, no I came to give you a little nudge in the right direction as it were. Your Beast needs all the help he can get, he's not the brightest of people if you know what I mean. Cunning enough in his own way but always smart."

"You're telling me...maybe if he was a bit less of an egotist he'd realize how ignorant he was sometimes."

"You're putting me on, he's been a beast for twenty years and he still hasn't learned humility?" said the old woman shaking her head. "Maybe he really his hopeless, he's lucky there's no time limit on his curse."

"You know a lot about curses don't you?" Lynette scrutinized the old woman.

"Comes with age and experience deary," replied the crone blithely

"So how do I help Beast? I'm not going to be his wife," said Lynette flatly.

"Heavens no deary I don't expect that!" the old woman chuckled. "_He's_ the one who needs to learn to love something more than himself."

"Is that even possible?"

"I think so, he's very misguided but so were all the others before them. Most of them managed to free themselves of the curse, I'm sure he will too. Another thing, don't tell him how to break the curse he needs to learn about it on his own."

"I don't know..." Lynette didn't think that Beast even knew what love really was, he assumed that getting a girl to marry him was the right answer, and she didn't think he'd ever love anyone as much as he loved himself. She was sure even if she told him he'd never understand it fully. She agreed to keep quiet about it. The old woman nodded her approval before the explained further.

"There are many kinds of love, he only needs to find one of them. I'm sure you'll be able to help him, you seem like a capable person."

With that the old woman reached into the folds of her cloak and pressed a little white flower into Lynette's hand.

"For your kindness dear, it's only a lily, I'm all out of roses I'm afraid," she said, her wrinkled face split into a grin and for an instant Lynette could have sworn that she had seen a glimpse of a beautiful young woman in her smile.

"Thank you," said Lynette tucking the flower into her sleeve.

"May it do you good child, I'll be going now."

The old woman stood and before Lynette could protest she was gone and when Lynette looked outside to call her back there was no trace she had ever been there, not even footprints.

When Beast came back with his latest kill he asked Lynette where she had found a lily in the middle of winter. Lynette told him about the old woman and her visit but not about the details of his curse. He seemed satisfied with the answer and settled himself to skinning and butchering the deer he'd killed. Not liking the sight of blood Lynette excused herself until he was done.

Later that evening Lynette made an attempt to read her books to him. He disliked the Shakespeare and found The Canterbury Tales to be ridiculous but not all together unamusing. His interests seemed mostly limited to hero stories from her book of Greek mythology, his current favorite was the Odyssey. He had even been impressed with Odysseus's cunning going so far as to say:

"That's what real brains are, being quick on your feet under pressure."

Lynette paused her reading and peered over her book at him.

"What do you mean by that comment?"

"Everyone thinks being smart means knowing a lot of fancy words and facts but most scholars would be useless in a tight situation. That Odysseus knows what he's doing and I'll bet he didn't learn all that from a book."

"You know, you really shouldn't knock books you seem to like this one," said Lynette.

"Alright, alright, you have a point just keep reading." Beast waved a paw at her dismissively.

Lynette rolled her eyes and returned to her book. At least he was giving books a chance, she had to keep that in mind to keep herself from smacking him in the head with one of them when ever he interrupted her or made a smart remark. Truthfully she didn't know how anyone could put up with him...


	11. Chapter 11

Chip couldn't stand it any longer, two months had gone by and still the snow fell. The castle had felt so empty and lonely to him without his friend. While he knew from Belle and the Master that she was safe something worried him, what if she fell in love with the beast? He didn't want the poor man to be a monster forever but he didn't think he could bear it if she fell in love and broke his curse. Even if the spell broke and everyone lived happily ever after he would always feel sad that he had never taken the chance to ask her how she felt about him. He couldn't deny that he loved her, and all the years he'd known her he'd never acted on his feelings, well, no more of that. He determined right then and there to find Lynette and bring her home before anything could happen between her and this beast

...

It was a good thing that breaking Beast's curse did not involve falling in love with him. Lynette was quite certain that no force on earth could get her to love the Beast. She liked him well enough but he was definitely not to her taste. His interests were limited to hunting and tracking and even so he had learned to appreciate books he only wanted to hear hero stories, she had tried to share her Shakespeare with him, he had paid attention to her for all of five minutes before he'd decided he'd had enough of the sonnets and told her quite plainly that if she was going to read to him then she'd better pick something easier to follow and less sappy.

She had tried to help him with his own reading and writing but he was not an apt pupil. He tried, he did, in fact, try very hard to become an efficient reader but whenever he studied the words the letters seemed to mix themselves up and even so he could spell reasonably well when asked to name the letters out loud actually writing the words was quite a laborious task for him and while he had no trouble understanding passages as he heard them he had trouble deciphering even simple written sentences. Lynette knew that he was not stupid, he had moments where he was rather ignorant but he was capable of great cunning when he needed to be. He did well enough with numbers, he kept track of how much food the two of them needed and how many rabbits or deer it would take to last them a week, so his problem with reading didn't have anything to do with his intelligence. Perhaps he had a learning problem, it was the only thing that made sense. After several frustrating attempts Beast gave up, he could read as well as he needed if he was going to function in a civilized society and that was good enough for him and try as she might Lynette could not convince him to keep trying.

"Are you really just going to give up?" she asked after he had announced that he would not continue his reading.

"To tell the truth I've never really needed to do much reading and I don't really want to spend much time reading anyway so what's the point?" he replied.

"Don't you want to be good at it? People will think you're brainless," she said flatly.

"Then those people are shallow, there's more to a person than just being able to read and write well..."

His thick brows furrowed. He'd suddenly had a thought, _there's more to a person_...

"People are more than just their talents aren't they? They're more than their looks too..."

Lynette blinked. That was unexpected, he'd had a deep thought. She was very certain that it was snowing in Hell right about now.

"Well yes, yes they are..." was all she could manage as a response.

"Even if there are three people and they look alike they are still different people because they like different things and just because someone is beautiful doesn't mean that they are good, or talented... and it does not make them the best."

He sounded sad all of a sudden, regretful, as though the knowledge that things were not as simple as he'd once thought made him unhappy. He heaved a sigh and shook his great lion-like head. So many years had passed and he hadn't learned a thing and he realized that he had spent his entire life being shallow and ignorant. If he had known as a man what he knew now as a beast he would never have been cursed. All his life he had only thought of himself. He'd thrown everything away one a beautiful woman and now that he thought back, he hadn't even really known her! He'd thrown his life away on a pretty face. Worse still, he'd committed an irredeemable crime and all for nothing, where was he now? A lonely monster rotting in a stagnant existence without a single friend. He'd kidnapped a young girl and tried to coerce her into marrying him without once thinking of her feelings. He'd learned nothing! Years and years had been wasted because he'd been to blind to see beyond his own vanity. Did he even deserve to be a human again?

He sank into a nearby chair and buried his face in his clawed hands. "I really am a monster...Belle was right..." he whispered forgetting that he had wanted to keep the details of his past a secret.

"Belle?" Lynette echoed, was that the name of the woman from the Beast's past?

Beast briefly thought about covering his slip of the tongue with a lie but what was the use in that? She already knew some of the details why not tell her everything now.

"Yes, I told you I was in love once, it was with a girl named Belle she was the daughter of the town inventor, I thought she was beautiful and that was my only reason for wanting her, when she rejected me I was furious, I'd never lost anything to anyone before and I think I went a little mad, I became obsessed and now that I have had time to reflect, I didn't really love her. I was obsessed with her beauty and with winning. I've been such a fool and I've made such a mess and now that I finally understand what I've done it's to late, I can't undo any of it. Even if I break this curse I'll never be free, I'll always be a monster no matter what I look like."

He had thought that he was simply cursed to be an animal, he would never have guessed that curses like his reached deeper than his skin, that with all of the time and isolation came the terrible knowledge that there was more than magic, he was forced to look back on his life and see all of the things he had done wrong and he felt his regret tear him more deeply than the curse ever had.

"My mother's name is Belle, my grandfather is an inventor named Maurice."

The Beast lifted his head, he fixed his blue eyes on her and gaped incredulously.

"Wh-what did you say?"

...

Chip waited for everyone in the castle to go to sleep before he headed out to the stables, his intention was to borrow one of the horses and use the magic mirror he'd pilfered from the Master to find his way to Lynette, he'd had the sense to pack a rifle and a hunting knife, if he ran into the wolves he'd be needing them. He crept through the servant's quarters making as little noise as possible, he planned to take the side entrance through the kitchens and dash across the courtyard to the stables. He just made it to the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Going somewhere?"

Chip groaned inwardly, Dietrich, of all the people to catch him sneaking out.

"It's none of your business go away!" he hissed.

Dietrich folded his arms and shook his head.

"Not until you tell me where you're going," said the Prince.

"I'm going to rescue Lynette," replied Chip daring Dietrich to argue with him.

The two men stared each other down, Chip was about half a head taller than the Prince and he felt that if it came down to fisticuffs he'd have the advantage. If Dietrich tried to stop him he wouldn't hesitate to wallop him. However it was not Dietrich's intent to thwart him, the younger man looked chip in the eye and said very clearly.

"I'm coming with you."

* * *

_I apologize for the long delay, I've been very ill and only recently have I been well enough to resume my story. I've read all of the reviews and I am very pleased to see that everyone seems to be enjoying the story. I have noted the comments about my grammar and I promise to go back and do some editing when I finish the story. I believe at this point everyone has figured out that the Beast is Gaston, he's been the most challenging to write as I am not writing him to be a villain as Disney intended. It's difficult to keep him in character but I will do my best. On that note I have decided that it would suit him in my story to be dyslexic as it would explain his aversion to reading and his need for books with pictures. However as the term dyslexia did not come into use until 1881 I cannot use it in the story,which takes place in the 18th century, so I decided to explain his disability in this note. Thank all of you for your patience and thank you for taking the time to read.  
_

_yours truly_

_~Enos_


	12. Chapter 12

"Belle is your mother..." Now that he looked Beast could see it, Lynette had the same brown eyes and her face had similar features. True her chin was a bit wider and her nose slightly longer but her face still bore a resemblance. That light coppery hair was what had thrown him off, it was messy and a bit wavy unlike Belle's neat chocolate colored hair. "...she was able to marry and have children in the end."

He didn't quite know how to feel about this, for almost all of his time as a beast he'd been tormenting himself with the thought that her life had been ruined. Yet here was her daughter, the crown princess no less. Belle had gotten a happily ever after in the end and he'd been left to eke out his miserable existence as a monster. He suddenly didn't feel so remorseful any longer.

Lynette nodded. "Yes, she's my mother and my father is King Adam."

Lynette had been told the tale of Beauty and the Beast by old Mrs Potts, long ago when she was little the old woman would sit her in her lap and tell her about a beautiful woman and how her kindness had changed a monster into a prince. Lynette had never known the stories were true, her father had always told her not to worry about them. He'd never much liked to listen to Mrs Potts' tales and whenever Lynette had tried to talk to him about Beauty and the Beast he would brush her off or tell her that it wasn't important. There was no doubt now that the Beast in the story had been her father. Perhaps the memories pained him or perhaps he simply wanted to forget, either way there had been no talk of the subject in the castle outside of story time. She quickly thought back to the tales, the clock, the candlestick, all of the enchanted objects...they were the servants! That left just one character, the only one with a name. She speculated that Mrs Potts had only allowed him his name because he was dead, or so they had thought. Belle was Beauty, Adam was the Beast and this Beast could only be...

"I heard the story of Beauty and the Beast when I was little, I thought it was all just something made up. I didn't realize it was about my mother and father...and you. You're Gaston. If your in that story then the only character you could be is Gaston!"

"Yes."

It was a short answer, defiant and spoken in one single, sharp, snap. He was daring her to go on, daring her to judge him. His icy blue eyes stared unflinchingly into hers. Who ever this man, this beast who went by the name of Gaston, was he was waiting for her to pass judgment. For his part Gaston knew what she was going to say for if there was a story of Beauty and the Beast then there was no question what his role in it was. Even so he was sure he knew, he asked anyway

"So who am I in your stories?"

Lynette sucked in a shaky breath. "You're the villain."

The villain. Ah yes...that would be how he'd be remembered, not as the greatest hunter in the world, but then he had expected that, he'd been bracing himself for it still, it cut him to his core. All these years he thought he'd merely been forgotten but the truth of the matter was much more painful than it would have been if he'd just faded into memory and been lost with time. He lived on as a villain through stories told to a child. All anyone would ever know of him was that he was a monster, it was all they would remember of the name Gaston. His features twisted then smoothed again as he forced himself to remain calm.

"I think it's safe to say there will be no wedding. Seems I'm out of luck again."

Lynette was aghast. How could he be so calm? Was he out of his mind?

"Is that all you can say?" she hissed. "You stabbed my father!"

To learn that the beast was Lynette's father had surprised him. He had been sure that he'd killed the beast. It had been a lethal wound...then again, you never could tell with magic. Maybe when he'd turned back he'd been cured. Gaston had been dying when the witch turned him into an animal and all of his wounds had healed, so perhaps it worked the other way too. Belle's love had cured the Beast and the spell had been broken. Wasn't that just wonderful? This whole time Belle and her Beast had been living happy lives in their castle as the King and Queen while he'd been in Hell hating himself for crimes he'd failed to commit. Of all the cruel twists. His tusk torn lips curled in a grimace.

"Yes, twenty years ago I stabbed the Beast and it would seem nothing came of it. Belle lived happily ever after and I became nothing more than a storybook villain, what a fairy tale!"

There was real contempt in his voice. Lynette would have thought he'd be relieved to hear that he hadn't caused the harm he'd been regretting for years, this bitterness was a little unexpected.

He let out a harsh laugh. "Poor Belle, I spent so many nights agonizing over poor Belle and how much I wanted to see her just to see if she was alright or to try and make everything up to her and I would have these terrible dreams of her being as alone as I was. Poor Belle, poor Belle. Now I find out that poor Belle is living in a castle with her true love, someone I thought I killed!"

"What the Hell is matter with you? You were so distraught over this earlier and now you're angry?" Lynette cried clenching her fists.

"Forgive me if I'm put off by the fact that in the end I did nothing and I was still cursed," he growled.

"You didn't do _nothing_, you rallied a mob to come and storm the castle and you _stabbed my father_. Even if you didn't kill him that's still horrible!"

"Does that really matter now? How long has it been twenty years? I've been a beast this whole time and just as I was starting to think I deserved this I find out that I haven't killed anyone, what sort of cruel joke is that? The heroine and her lover become the King and Queen and live happily ever after while the villain who fail to do anything rots away alone and the only thing he's remembered for is the thing he did wrong. It's a damn fairy tale! This is exactly the thing you find in a damn book! A GODDAMN FAIRY TALE!"

The last four words came out in an earth shattering roar, his heavy paw came down violently and smashed the table in front of him sending great splinters flying into the air. Lynette backed away from him as he let out a second roar. She had never seen him like this, his behavior was pure animal. The roar escalated in pitch to a screaming howl before breaking off into an agonized moan as he fell to his knees.

"One thing...one bloody thing, that's all it took, one foolish act. I may have been arrogant and conceited but I'd never caused any harm before that incident with Belle and the Beast. I thought he was just an animal for God's sake! I was a stupid blind young man. I spent so many nights regretting it and feeling so terrible for Belle and now it turns out I never killed anyone. Why'd this happen to me? There are so many rapists and murderers in the world who have done so much worse and never lost any sleep or felt any regret over what they'd done, why did I end up a beast?"

Hesitantly Lynette walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe someone thought you deserved a chance to redeem yourself. "

"You really believe that? Even after everything I've done to you and your family you really think I deserve a chance?"

Lynette nodded, "Yes I do, I know you a little to well to hate you, but you have to promise me that you'll apologize to my parents."

She had no intention of letting him get off with nothing, he had caused her mother and father a lot of grief even if it hadn't lasted. Besides, if nothing else it might make him feel better if he tried to make amends. Although, she had a feeling it would be better for him to deliver his apology to her mother rather than her father. Even after twenty years King Adam had a way of holding a grudge.

"I suppose that's fair, I doubt that it will do any good."

"You never know, it could be a start at getting your life back."

"It's been so long I don't even know if there's anything left to go back to," he sighed and raked his claws through the dark fur on his head in much the same fashion as a man would brush long hair from his face.

The gesture was one he tended to make when he was troubled or in thought, it had always seemed habitual to Lynette and, even so she didn't find him particularly lovable, the motion seemed so human it was endearing. She watched him stand and compose himself, there was a new look in his eye, a sort of steely resolution that she hadn't seen before.

"I'm still a Beast now no matter what the reason is, it's all the same," the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. "Well, I am Gaston, one way or another I will come out on top, I always do."

"That's the spirit, I think you're just bold enough to brazen your way through anything," said Lynette.

He laughed outright at that, maybe there was some hope after all. Things already seemed brighter than they had in years.

"You know I think you could be right, after all there's no one like Gaston!"

Lynette groaned, and just when he had started to seem humble too...

"Don't go getting all cocky again, that's part of the reason you're in this mess to begin with," she said. Secretly she was relieved and even a little impressed. He always seemed to keep his spark no matter what happened.

He nodded at her. "I'll try and first thing tomorrow...I'm going to take you home to your family."


	13. Chapter 13

After grudgingly allowing Dietrich to accompany him Chip took the Prince to the stables and readied two horses. Just after dawn the two of them slipped out of the castle and into the dense, snow covered, wood.

"So how are we going to find Lynette? This forest is enormous," asked Dietrich. He shifted on his saddle, he didn't like riding an unfamiliar horse but he wasn't about to complain.

"I have something that will show us the way," replied Chip. He could tell that that his companion was uncomfortable and it gave him a twinge of satisfaction to see him squirm on that horse, a sometimes unpredictable black Arabian called Jafar. For himself Chip had selected Lynette's horse, a large brown draft horse named Phillipe the Second.

Dietrich's focus was pulled away from his mount as his interest was piqued. He'd been afraid that Chip was just charging in blindly but it was nice to hear he had a plan of sorts. Relieved that there was some form of structure to this venture he asked what it was that Chip had to show them the way.

"Is it a map?"

"No."

"A compass?"

"No."

"...a note with directions on it?"

"No."

Dietrich halted his horse. Jafar snorted and pawed the ground impatiently. Ignoring the black horse Dietrich called out to Chip.

"Just what the Hell do you have then?" he demanded.

"I have this," said Chip displaying the mirror.

Dietrich was speechless, but only for the duration of about a minute.

"What the bloody Hell do you expect to find with that? It's a blasted mirror!" he cried. Really? A hand mirror? Perhaps Chip had been spending to much time in the kitchens because he was obviously not in full possession of his mental facilities.

"It's a magic mirror," replied Chip brushing off the Dietrich's outburst.

Dietrich was about to argue that there was no such thing as magic and that Chip was out of his bleeding mind when he recalled the fact that they were going to retrieve Lynette from a large black beast. Perhaps there was something to this whole mirror thing after all.

"Alright, how's it work?" he asked. He would not budge another inch until he got an answer.

Chip sighed, he was beginning to regret bringing the young man with him.

"Show me the way to Lynette," he said.

Sparks of green shot from the hand mirror and a series of images showing several landmarks throughout the forest flashed across the surface giving Chip a view of the path that would take him to Lynette and the beast. He turned his head to look at Dietrich. The German Prince was sitting with his mouth hanging open and his eyes round as coins. Chip couldn't keep from smirking.

"Good enough for you?" he asked.

Dietrich nodded mutely. Just a two months ago he'd lived in a world where logic and reason prevailed and magic was the stuff of fairytale and superstition. He never would have guessed that he'd be riding through the French woodlands searching for a girl and a giant beast while following a kitchen servant with an enchanted mirror. He would have given quite a lot to be back in his very safe, magic free Germany.

...

Gaston did no packing for himself, he decided that he would make the cabin a permanent sort of home. As he was covered from head to toe in black fur he did not bother with clothing he usually didn't as his old clothes didn't fit anyway. For her part Lynette was thrilled to be going home. The prospect of good food and a luxurious bath made her impatient to leave.

"How long are we going to be traveling?" she asked.

"It's a very long walk and if it starts to snow again we'll have to stop traveling. Another thing..." Gaston put two heavy paws on her shoulders and locked eyes with her to make sure that he had her complete attention. "Do not under any circumstances leave my sight, this is the time of year when there isn't much game and the wolves are hungry enough to chase humans."

Lynette scoffed and shook his paws away. "You worry to much."

Gaston sighed, Lynette may have been Belle's daughter but she was nowhere near as passive and quiet. She was impatient, stubborn, temperamental and sometimes very loud. He was feeling more and more relieved that he had changed his mind about marrying her. They were an ill fitting couple as both of them had to have their own way and neither would yield a point to the other. Although he was loath to admit it there was not a great difference between the two of them. Both of them were prideful and somewhat egocentric, he was the more vain of the two but she had the worse temper. Although he by no means disliked the girl he could no longer see himself spending the rest of his life with her.

"Are we ready yet?" Lynette demanded.

"Yes, we are, now stay close and don't wander off," Gaston passed her a fur cloak and led her out the door.

...

"Are we nearly there?" Dietrich asked, he was hoping this adventure wouldn't drag out for to much longer. With every flick of his horse's ears he could swear that the animal was plotting something evil.

"I think so, it's hard to tell with this thing, all it shows is images and I'm seeing less landmarks between us and them so I think were getting close."

"You think? We've been going in the same direction for nearly an hour and you're not _sure_?" Dietrich gritted his teeth "Wonderful!"

"Well as magical as this mirror is it has its limits. It can only show paths and landmarks and you have to ask it specific questions," replied Chip "The Master uses it to see people more often than anything else."

"Why is it that you call the Queen "Belle" but you only ever refer to the King as "The Master"?" asked Dietrich.

Chip shrugged. "He's always been The Master, even now we wouldn't dare call him by name. It's different with Belle because she was a commoner when we met her and she's so much more friendly than he is. It just sort of worked out that way."

Dietrich had a feeling that there was a story behind all of this but every time he had asked a question at the castle he had come away with very vauge answers. He didn't doubt for a minute that there was more magic involved though...

"Alright, keep your eye out for a large cluster of rocks with a cave entrance somewhere to our left, it's the next landmark," said Chip "If I'm seeing things right we should be getting close to Lynette and the beast. They're traveling right now so we should run across them sooner than we thought."

"Well that's a relief, it's bloody cold out here and I don't like the feel of the territory," Dietrich had brought along a pistol just in case there was trouble and twice now he was sure he had seen the silhouettes of creatures darting around through the trees.

"I know what you mean, these woods are not really safe in the spring but they're very treacherous in the winter. I wouldn't be surprised if we encountered some wolves, they're bold enough to try anything this time of year," Chip tapped the barrel of his rifle " That's why I suggested we arm ourselves."

"Wolves eh?, I thought the King said that Lynette was safe enough and he'd send people out to get her in the spring. What's wrong with that idea?" Dietrich asked. He was beginning to think this hadn't been the best of ideas.

"I can't let her stay out here with that beast any longer!" snapped Chip. He was concerned about Lynette, but there was a deeper reason. He was afraid that if she stayed with the beast for too long she could develop feeling for him. Granted this seemed unlikely but Chip didn't want to take any chances. Between this Beast and Dietrich that was two suitors in as many months and if he kept standing aside then she'd eventually fall in love with someone else and he'd never be able to tell her how he felt.

Dietrich could sense that Chip was in some kind of mental turmoil and he genuinely hoped that his companion was not mad. He knew that Chip was in love with the princess and that was all well and good but everything would depend on whether or not she returned those feelings. As much as Dietrich wanted a chance with her he knew that there wasn't anything to be done if she fell in love with someone else. That was simply the way life worked, sometimes you won and sometimes you lost and when it came to love it simply couldn't be controlled. He hoped that Chip was aware of that.

...

Lynette and Gaston traveled slowly through the snowy forest. He walked on all fours a few paces away from her, glancing back every now and then to see if she was alright. Finally he spoke.

"Lynette?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think you should tell anyone who I am, not just yet anyway. I want to tell them myself. When the time is right," he said.

Lynette chewed her lip, she hadn't really thought about how to introduce the Beast. Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep quiet for now.

"Yes, I think that's best," she replied.

"Well look there, it's our cave, we're halfway there," said Gaston as they approached a group of large stones to their right.

"I remember that place," Lynette said with a wry smile. "I don't think I want to go back there."

Gaston chuckled, "Oh it couldn't have been that bad you were with me weren't you?"He froze suddenly. "Lynette, quick, get in the cave!" he said urgently.

"Why? What-"

"Don't argue! Just do as I say!"

Lynette rushed over to the entrance bewildered and a little afraid. Gaston crouched in front of her. She heard a loud rustling sound, there was something coming towards them, something large.

"Wolves?" she breathed.

"No, something bigger," replied Gaston tensing. Just then a large bear charged from out of the underbrush. Gaston knew that bears rarely attacked humans dead on, especially during winter when they were hibernating, his guess was that they'd wandered close to a den and this was a mother. Standing on his hind legs he let out a roar and met the bear in a headlock. His thick forelimbs tangling with those of the bear.

Gaston used his right paw to push the bear's head away from his face. The white fangs snapped at him, biting into his fur when they could reach him. The animal's claws ripped into his skin, slashing him all over his shoulders and torso, one heavy paw caught him on the left side of his face and he howled in agony, but did not relinquish his own grip on the beast.

Lynette watched them grapple in a flash of fangs and fur. She wanted to help but she had nothing, what could she hope to do against a bear? The massive brown creature clamped it's jaws around Gaston's shoulder and he roared scratching furiously at the animal's face with his claws. They twisted and snarled, biting and scratching, scattering snow all around them in a furious swirl. Gaston's fur was matted with blood and Lynette was afraid he was seriously wounded. She searched the cave hoping to find something,_ anything_. There was a sudden loud roar and then silence. Lynette stood for a moment, afraid to turn and see the outcome of the battle. _Please let Gaston be alright..._

Swallowing down her fear she turned and took a step forward. A limp mass of brown lay in the blood stained snow. The bear was dead. She was about to cry out with relief, then she saw the state Gaston was in. His face was torn open on the left side just behind his eye. It was a deep wound and she could see a the white strip of skull bared beneath the split in his fur covered, flesh. His breathing was heavy but he remained upright. His left shoulder was also mangled and his arm was hanging awkwardly to the side. Lynette ran to him.

"You're hurt!" she cried, she took his right paw and tried to lead him to the cave.

"I'm alive, I can't move my arm," he sounded dazed, like he was having trouble comprehending what had just happened.

"Gaston come on, come inside the cave. We need to do something about those wounds!"

"I'm wounded?..." he swayed a bit. His vision was very hazy and Lynette's voice seemed to be coming from far away. He didn't feel any pain, but he did feel very odd, numb and a little sick.

"Yes! You need to come with me right now!"

He took a stumbling step forward and fell. Lynette knelt beside him. She didn't know what to do, he was to heavy for her to carry and she was to far from the castle to get help. She wondered if she could drag him to the cave, it was only a few feet. Being as careful as she could she slid him over the snow and after much struggling she got him through the entrance. She tore her skirt into strips and did what she could for his injuries but what now? She couldn't hunt and there was no telling just how badly hurt he was. She held on to his good arm and prayed for help.

...

"Did you hear that?" Dietrich halted Jafar and strained his ears. "I thought I heard roaring."

"Roaring?" Chip frowned, "There are bears in these woods but they don't bother many people."

"It was two animals." Dietrich frowned, one of them had not sounded like a bear...he turned and galloped in the direction of the noise.

"Wait what are you? Are you crazy?" Chip rode after him, what was he doing?

Not five minutes later Dietrich looked over his shoulder and cried...

"Chip look! it's the cave, the landmark you were talking about!"

He squinted, it was still a ways off, He could just make out the entrance to the cave and a lump of brown not far from it. "There's blood, I think that thing is a bear," he turned to his blond companion, his expression anxious.

Chip pulled out the mirror. "Show me where Lynette is."

He watched the green sparks flicker across the surface of the mirror and the image of the cave came into view. Dietrich craned his neck to see the image. He and Chip exchanged glances.

"Let's go," said Dietrich.

...

Lynette's mind was a whirl of panicked thoughts and ideas. She could try to brave the woods herself and get help, but what would happen to Gaston while she was gone? What if something happened while she was on her way? She had no plan! Thought she was loath to admit it she was helpless, more helpless than she had ever been in her life.

Just as she was about to resign herself to the plan of simply keeping watch over Gaston and praying that he lived, a familiar face peered into the cave entrance.

"Chip!" she cried flinging her arms around his neck, "How did you get here? How did you know where I was?"

"I used the magic mirror, is that the Beast?" Chip wrapped an arm around her waist as he looked down at the hulking black monster. The moment was broken when Dietrich stumbled rather ungracefully into the cave.

"Good Lord is that the thing?" he gasped. It was enormous! Bigger even than the dead bear outside and like nothing he'd ever seen. "It certainly is an ugly brute."

Lynette flew out of Chips arms and punched Dietrich as hard as she could.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare say that about him! You don't even know him!" she shouted.

Dietrich caught her fists, taken aback by her outburst he could only utter a stammering apology.

"I'm s-sorry calm down, I didn't mean any harm!"

Lynette gave him a hard shove, "If you're really sorry then do something to help him!" she snapped. As pleased as she was to have Chip there she did not care one ounce for Dietrich at that moment.

Dietrich bent and examined the creature, rubbing his sore jaw as he did so. " I can't really tell much, he's not like anything I've ever seen before and I'm no doctor, Let's get him on one of the horses and get him back to the castle."

Chip turned his attention to Lynette, "What about you are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine but you have to get him help! He saved me from that bear."

Between the three of them they managed to get the Beast on Phillipe the Second and then they began the slow trek home. Lynette rode Jafar and the two men took the task of making sure the Beast stayed on the horse. After what felt like years of traveling they arrived home.


	14. Chapter 14

Lynette got two different reactions from each of her parents when Gaston had been taken to a room where the servants could tend to him. Lynette hadn't told anyone his name, she was wise enough to know that this was not the right time so she had kept quiet. Both her mother and father were relieved to see her unharmed but as soon as the servants were gone her father started shouting.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU WORRIED YOUR MOTHER AND ME?"

"Now Adam the important thing is that she's home safe and sound."

"Don't interrupt me Belle! She's been childish and irresponsible and I'm not going to let her get away with it this time! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING LYNETTE? YOU COULD HAVE DIED! DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?...DO YOU?"

Lynette hung her head. She knew she deserved this, it seemed like it had all been so long ago that she'd run off, it seemed the act of a spoiled child to her now.

"I'm sorry father..."

Adam had opened his mouth to bellow again when the full weight of what she said hit him. She had never given him a sincere apology before. He stared down at her lowered head in surprise and chewed his lip anxiously. For the first time in years the King was uncertain of himself. He hadn't finished his tongue lashing but now it seemed inappropriate to do so. He sighed and put an arm around his daughter.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he finally said, his tone softer now.

Lynette buried her face in his shoulder and sniffled a bit before he mother took her away to have dinner and a warm bath. Both the King and Queen noted a change in their daughter. She seemed to have grown up a little while she was away. It saddened them a little to think that she was no longer the careless princess she had been before but Belle reasoned to her husband that a little wisdom could do her no harm if she would be queen someday.

"Let's not forget about Chip and Dietrich, I'm sure they're also a bit worn out from all this excitement," Belle said taking her husband's arm.

Adam nodded. "I'll have Lumiere tend to them."

...

"Well now I hope you two are both hungry," Lumiere had taken it upon himself to have a fine meal prepared for the Dietrich and Chip.

"I still can't believe the Master hasn't thrown me in the dungeon for going off without his permission," Chip shook his head.

"Why would he? You brought the Princess back safely and sooner than he thought he'd have her home. I think he is too happy to punish you, no?"

Chip furrowed his brow, well he wasn't going to question it, there was something more important on his mind anyway.

"How's my mother? Did she miss me while I was gone? Everyone did remember her right?"

"But of course, she was worried but she knows that you are safe now so all is well."

The young man scratched the back of his head and frowned. "Still, I had better go and see her, she hasn't been so well this past year and I'm worried about her," he said.

Lumiere nodded and patted his shoulder. "You are a good man Chip, she is lucky to have such a devoted son," he meant it, Mrs Potts was dwindling away a little more each year and he was sure that with out her son the old woman would have been lost long ago.

Chip couldn't help but feel that there was something sad about the old man's smile when he said that. Before he could question it the aged romantic had changed the subject.

"You did tell Lynette you love her, am I right?"

Chip's face turned pink. "I'll get around to it soon enough..."

"Want for me to provide a nice candlelight dinner and some mood music?"

"NO!" Chip's expression was one of mortification. He knew that Lumiere was likely to go to the extent of putting on an entire floor show for a single dinner date.

Lumiere's face fell, didn't Chip understand that romance was his reason for living? _The sole purpose for his existence_? How was he going to live vicariously through young lovers if they didn't get together? Giving Chip a stern look he wagged his finger at the young man.

"Just do it before I die of old age! I haven't got much more life left in these old bones and if I don't live to see your wedding my ghost will come back and haunt you every night for the rest of your life."

"I'll do it! Just back off already!"

Dietrich stirred his soup dejectedly and tried not to get involved. It seemed Lynette was spoken for and he was surrounded on all sides buy lunatics. He wondered if there was a single person in this castle without a quirk of some kind...noticing that there was a pretty maid nearby he gave her a smile.

"Well hello there, is life around here always so interesting?"

"It has it's moments," she returned his smile with one of her own.

She did seem promising, even if she was a bit older than he was, and he certainly could have used a night of company to forget all of this madness. He wondered if she would be up for some fun.

"Do you ever want a break from all of it?" he asked.

"I do sometimes, but then I just remember that no matter what's happening it's better than being a spoon and I'm grateful to be doing my job here as things are."

For a moment Dietrich wondered if he'd forgotten his French.

"I'm sorry, did you say a _spoon_?" he held up the piece of silverware

"Yes, it is nice having legs again," the woman said pleasantly.

"I'm sure it is..." There were no words to describe the Prince's dismay, it truly seemed that everyone who lived within these castle walls was strange. Although perhaps he should alert some one to the fact that one of the maid thought she used to be a utensil.

"Chip!" he hissed leaning over to whisper so the maid wouldn't hear him. "Chip don't be alarmed but one of your servants seems to think she's been a spoon!"

Chip gave Dietrich a lopsided grin, the man already knew about beasts and magic, it couldn't hurt to tell him the whole story.

"Well actually..."

...

Dietrich sat frozen in his chair. "You were a teacup for ten years?...And the King was a beast?" he glanced behind him, the maid was nonchalantly polishing a vase a few feet away. "So she really was a spoon once..."

"The only ones who don't know about all this are the younger servants and Lynette, Adam thought it best she not know, he wanted her to be normal." explained Chip.

"Ha ha...normal... in this place...I'm sure."

Well as far as Chip could tell Dietrich seemed to be taking things well enough. Perhaps he needed some time alone to digest all of it. "I'm going to see my mother now, you just have some more dinner and think things over for a bit, alright?" he patted the German's head and walked off trying not to snicker at the young man's dismayed expression.

...

Belle took it upon herself to take charge of caring for the wounded Beast, for almost a week he slipped in and out of consciousness and it was only with Belle's help that he was able to survive the first night. Finally on the seventh day he seemed to improve. After several hours of restful sleep he woke for the first time and was able to take in his surroundings.

...

When Gaston's world came back into focus he found himself staring at an impossible face...a wonderful, impossible face...

Soft brown eyes as large and sweet as those of a doe, silky chocolate colored hair and pretty pink lips that were smiling down at him in away he'd only ever dreamed they would. Belle, his beauty. He wanted to speak the name but the words caught in his throat. Why did she smile? Was he dreaming?

"I'm glad you're awake Mousier Beast."

Of course, she didn't know who he was, this wasn't a dream. He was a beast and she didn't recognize him.

"For a while we were worried that you would die on us, good thing you're a strong one. We owe you our daughter's life. It was very brave of you to fight that bear."

Hearing Belle praise him cut him deeply. She would never have said such things to Gaston, and why should she? What had he ever done to deserve it? Still, it felt so painful to know that if he were handsome again she would never treat him as though she cared.

Belle was unsure what to make of the beast. He wasn't the same as Adam had been. This beast didn't seem angry and defiant. The creature's light blue eyes were mournful. He seemed oddly subdued and there was an aura of sadness that made him seem like one who had grown old over the course of a very short time. It was strange, she was almost certain he was familiar in a way. Perhaps it was just because he was a beast...

"What's your name sir?" she asked.

He didn't think he could possibly tell her the truth, "Just call me Beast my name is no good to me anymore," he said wearily.

Belle was dismayed, this beast had saved her daughter and nearly died in the process, yet he seemed so somber as though his heart was broken into a thousand pieces.

"There's no need to be afraid, no one here will hurt you," she put a hand on his furry cheek and gave him her kindest smile.

It was to much, not once in his human days had Belle touched him or given him a kind word. Now that he was a beast and she a married woman he finally had her attention and affection, at long last she thought of him as a hero. This was irony, like in those damnable Greek stories Lynette had read to him. But no tragic hero could possibly have felt as wretched as he did at that moment. He pulled away from her and gently pushed her hand aside.

"Please don't touch me, I can't bear it."

"You don't have to be ashamed, I won't let anyone mistreat you because of what you are."

His lips twisted in a rueful smile. How could he tell her it wasn't what but _who_ he was that made him all the difference? "That's kind but as soon as I'm well I'll leave," he said.

"At least stay until you're well, I'd hate for anything to happen to you," Bell protested.

_If only you knew...I'll bet you didn't shed a tear when I fell off that cliff_. He thought. His attention was diverted by a sudden presence, a stranger had just walked through the door. He was fairly tall, about six feet or so and he was dressed in a blue jacket and dark breeches. He had dark blue eyes and thick, shoulder length, coppery hair that hung loosely about his face. Gaston placed him at about forty, good looking in a way and not as girly as other nobles he'd seen. The man scrutinized him, there was something arrogant about his expression and Gaston was immediately reminded of Lynette.

"You're the king?" he asked.

"How'd you guess?" Adam raised a fierce brow at him.

"You remind me of Lynette, you both have a way of standing around like you own the world."

The king's face reddened a bit and he opened his mouth to tell the beast just what was what around here when Belle let out a soft laugh.

"He has a point, both of you can be very imposing," she said.

"I am the King," Adam growled as the flush left his cheeks.

Gaston assessed the situation, something he was better at doing than most people suspected, this man was Belle's husband. That meant he was the former beast, the one he'd stabbed. He seemed quite well, Belle had done alright as far as husbands went: rich, handsome, a _king_...there was no shame in losing your girl to a king right? After having studied the man for a minute he decided that if he was going to reveal himself to anyone it would be Belle, this fellow seemed the type to have outbursts.

Speaking of Belle, she had aged nicely, there only a few tell-tale lines around her eyes and mouth that hinted at her true age. Mores the pity, he thought back on his dream of having her as a wife, such a shame really. If only he'd known then what he knew now...

Adam saw the longing look on the Beast's face and he cleared his throat loudly to get his attention. He hoped the creature wasn't getting any ideas...

"You will leave as soon as you are able right?"

Gaston couldn't say he liked the man's attitude but he nodded his agreement.

"Adam don't be rude! He saved our daughter's life and I won't have him treated like a monster," Belle cried standing with her hands on her hips as she turned to face her husband.

Well, who would have guessed, Bell defending Gaston from her dear beast. Irony at it's finest if Gaston didn't say so himself, still he didn't want a fight to break out.

"Neither of you have to worry, I won't stay. I have my own reasons for wanting to go back to the forest," he said.

Bell sighed, "If you insist."

"Trust me it's all for the best."

Adam gave a satisfied nod, "I couldn't agree more."


	15. Chapter 15

It was amazing how quickly things at the castle returned to normal, now that the princess was back life went on very much as it had before she had run away. The Beast didn't cause much fuss, he was still weak and requested very little of the servants that checked on him. Although he did receive many visits from Belle. Being that Belle was a helpful sort of person she felt that she could do something for her guest to give him hope and a sense of friendship. Little did she know her visits had much the opposite effect...

Gaston was torn, he loved having her attention but at the same time he was in agony, every moment he spent with her made him remember how much he had wanted her and something in him wanted her still. She was still the same quiet dreamer he'd known twenty years ago and every moment spent with her only served to remind him of the reasons he'd wanted her to begin with. Beauty aside he truly liked her company, she hadn't been the only beautiful girl in the village but she had been the most interesting. She hadn't fallen for him instantly like the triplets had and there had been an element of a challenge that appealed to his nature as a hunter.

He had thought her to be like a doe, when he had first seen her, with her large brown eyes and her gentle grace. Like any doe he saw in the forest he knew he had to have Belle and he wouldn't rest until he achieved his goal. His determination to get what he wanted at all costs had been one of his greatest strengths as a hunter, consequently it had also led to his down fall. Belle escaped him, it was the first time in years he'd ever lost anything.

"Good day Monsieur Beast! I thought you might be bored all alone here."

He gave Belle a weak smile when she swept into the room with an armful of books. Some how it made him glad to see that she still read. His memories of her were not complete unless she was holding a book.

"Hello B...your highness," he said stiffly.

"You can call me Belle if you like, every one does," she gave him a smile. " Save "Your highness" for my husband, he doesn't like familiarity."

"I'm not surprised," muttered Gaston.

"He's not always so abrasive, he's really very kind and gentle when he wants to be."

He'd heard that before, she'd said almost those exact words twenty years ago as she had gazed adoringly into the image of the beast in the mirror. Seeing her look that way at someone and knowing she would never look at him like that had filled him with such rage. He'd lost all of his reason in that instant and for just a moment the anger flared inside of him again as he heard her speak so lovingly of another man. But he let it go, it was to late now.

"He treats you well then? He makes you...happy?" he asked half hoping she'd say no and half hoping she'd say yes.

"Yes, he does. I can't imagine life without him."

He nodded thoughtfully, he had resented Belle's happiness after learning from Lynette that he was a Beast for nothing. Yet, seeing Belle again, looking at her face and seeing how well she looked he was glad now. He wondered how he could ever have thought to harm her all those years ago.

"I brought you some books, I thought maybe they could take your mind off of things," said Belle holding out a book of fairytales for him.

He grimaced, "I'm sorry, I don't particularly like fairytales...I've had more than enough of witches and enchantments."

"Oh...I have other books, try Shakespeare," she handed him a thick tome.

He opened it, small print, lots of fancy words in funny lettering and nothing he could understand.

"How can you read this? There's no pictures!"

Belle gaped at him, had he really just said that?

"I think I prefer Greek stories, Homer's _Odyssey_ is my favorite," said Gaston as he handed Belle her book.

Belle shook her head, "Sometimes I think you remind me of someone, and then you say something and I know you can't possibly be him," she smiled "He would never have thought to read the _Odyssey_."

Gaston knew she was talking about him. Twenty years ago that would have been completely true, he wouldn't have been caught dead reading. Hell, he barely let on to his entourage of worshiping followers that he could think, let alone read. That sort of thing just wasn't manly. But none of that was the case now. He wanted very badly to burst out saying: "Look at me now Belle! I've changed, I'm not who I was, I'm better now!" but he kept silent. He didn't want to expose himself yet, who knew how quickly she would turn on him if she knew the truth.

"It's a shame he didn't, it's a wonderful story and it might have done him good," Gaston mused aloud.

Belle tilted her head and squinted at him, what a strange individual he was, she could have sworn he reminded her of...but no, that was impossible. Still, he seemed to know exactly what she was talking about.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" asked Gaston.

"I can't help but think of some one I knew a long time ago, you have some similarities to him. But he was arrogant and and narrow minded. He wanted to marry me you know, but I know that if I had said yes I would have spent the rest of my life wasting away in that little village playing the part of the meek little housewife," said Belle.

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, life with him would have been nothing but living Hell. He tried to kill my husband when I rejected him," said Belle pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "He was the most infuriating man alive."

Gaston fell silent, she was right. He'd been so used to having his way that it had clouded his judgment. Perhaps his years as a beast had done him good. Looking back at his younger self he no longer saw the greatest hunter in the world but a selfish, spoiled, coward instead.

"He was wrong," Gaston shook his furry head sadly, "Poor fool."

"It was a shame," said Belle. "He had so much potential and he wasted all of it."

"Potential?" echoed Gaston.

"He was ignorant, but he was capable of being cunning , when it suited his purpose anyway. He also knew how to read people and he had everyone in the village following his lead. People looked up to him and if he'd had the mind to he could have done a lot of good. As it was he only ever used his talents for self gain."

Gaston's heart sank, she sounded so disappointed. He hadn't known she'd had expectations and he felt even worse knowing that he had failed them. He remembered when he'd arranged for the asylum to take her father away so that he could blackmail her into marrying him. She hadn't known he was behind all of it and had appealed to him for help. He'd failed her. He had destroyed any ounce of credibility he'd had. Then she had revealed her love of another and he'd let his jealousy consume him.

"He sounds like a real fool," he said at length.

Belle shrugged, "It's to late now, he'd been dead for twenty years, I have to go now but I'll leave these books here for you."

"You're to kind, thank you for all you've done."

"You saved my daughter, I can't thank you enough for that."

He decided not to bring up the fact that he'd kidnapped her in the first place. As long as people were grateful he'd protected her from the bear he'd just let all the little details stay in the background.

"You're welcome."

Belle smiled and headed for the door, "have a good evening Monsieur Beast."

...

Gaston slept fitfully that night...

_"My father's not crazy!" Belle gasped as Monsieur D'Arque informed her that he'd come to collect her father. The old man gestured to a wagon bearing the sign "Asylum de Loons"_

_"He was raving like a lunatic!" cried Le Fou waving his torch at the gathered mob. "We all heard 'im didn't we?"_

_The crowed was growing restless and Gaston could see his younger self standing to the side, surveying his handiwork with a malicious grin. It was all happening again, as it had twenty years ago._

_"No I won't let you!" cried Belle moving towards the mob. _

_Maurice peered though the door, "Belle?" he said timidly. Gaston could see that he didn't look well, he seemed shaky as thought he was ill. Poor old man, why hadn't he noticed it before?_

_"Hey Maurice! Tell us again old man, just how big was the beast!" Le Fou smirked.  
_

_Gaston cringed. He wanted to kick his former toady but he knew that Le Fou was just a product of all the years of Gaston's abuse and like the villagers Gaston had exploited him for as much as he could get out of the pathetic lackey._

_""He-he was e- enormous! I'd say eight no.._ten_ feet!" said Maurice._

_The crowed laughed, prompted by Le Fou, "Well you don't get much crazier than that!"the little man chuckled.  
_

_"It's true I tell you!" cried Maurice holding out his arms in desperation._

_"Get him out of here!" _

_Two large thugs seized Maurice and dragged him to the wagon._

_"Let go of me!" Maurice struggled in their grip._

_"No!" Belle ran towards Monsieur D'Arque grabbing him by his shoulder, "You can't do this!" she hissed._

_D'Arque shrugged her off leaving her to appeal to Gaston's younger self._

_"Poor Belle," drawled the young Gaston. "it's a shame about your father," his voice oozed sympathy as he put a comforting arm around her._

_"You know he's not crazy Gaston," Belle was pleading, his younger self leered down at her._

_"No you idiot! Call it off!" cried Gaston hoping some how to reach himself. "Don't do it! You'll never get what you want but for God's sake please don't make Belle suffer for it!" No surely he couldn't. Not to Belle, not to a helpless girl and her aging father. But he knew he had, it galled him to think that there had been a time when he would stoop so low.  
_

_But the shadows of the past remained blind and deaf to him as the events continued to play out as they had that day._

_"I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding..." his human self said as his handsome face split into a wicked smile.  
_

_"You bastard! Stop! Don't say another word!"  
_

_"If..."_

_"If what?" asked Belle, her dark eyes were begging him to help her._

_"If you marry me!"_

_"You son of a bitch!" snarled Gaston raising his hackles and lunging at himself only to pass through the image as though it were made of smoke._

_The scene kept playing uninterrupted as Gaston could do nothing more than watch himself threaten Belle._

_"Stop this! Don't you see that you're hurting her? You wanted to marry her dammit do you really think she'll want you now?" Gaston swiped helplessly at himself with his heavy claws. But it was no good, his former self threw Belle into the cellar and worked the mob into a frenzy using all of his cunning to say just the right things to drive them to attack. Still Gaston tried to stop himself._

_"Don't you understand it's to late for you? Nothing you do will ever make her love you! You can't force someone to love you! Just let her go..." he moaned sinking to his knees. "Oh...what did you do...you damn fool...you arrogant fool."_

_But it was to late... The mob was on it's way to the castle with Gaston as their leader and no matter how sorry he was he could never change what he'd done..._

_The scene changed. "Are you in love with her beast?" a deep mocking voice assaulted his ears. _

_Gaston found himself face to face with his human self. He growled deep in his throat and bared his fangs but his other self seemed unafraid of the threat._

_"Did you honestly think she'd want you? When she had someone like me?" his other self began to laugh._

_"Look at you now you monster!" He mocked _

_Gaston let out a roar and took a heavy swipe at the phantom. "I'm not the monster here! _YOU ARE!" _he shouted__._

_"Ha ha ha, I am you!"_

_..._

He woke with a start, just a dream...like all the nightmares before. Dreams like that one plagued his sleep every now and then but now they seemed more painful than ever. He'd actually been willing to _hurt_ Belle to get what he wanted. Because he was handsome and respected he thought he could do what he wanted. A dreadful thought occurred to him. What if he did break the curse, what if he was handsome and popular again? Would he turn into the monster he'd been as a young man, worse what if that part of him still lived inside of him? That jealous, deceitful, manipulative being could still be lurking in the dark corners of his heart just waiting to be released when he became a human again. He thought about it and came to a startling conclusion.

"I'd rather be a beast!"


	16. Chapter 16

As happy as Lynette was to be home she could not say that she was pleased with how quickly things became routine again. Even with a wounded beast to tend the castle managed to fall back into it's humdrum schedule.

"Mother, have you ever wanted an exiting life?" asked Lynette one day as she and her mother sorted through books in the library.

"I did, I was about your age and I lived in the village. Life there was so dull and predictable," said Belle "I spent most of my time at the bookshop looking to escape through my reading."

"Was life in the village half as dull as life here in this castle?"

"Lynette, you just got back from an adventure, surely you're not already bored."

"I wouldn't call being holed up with Beast an adventure." Lynette grumbled.

Belle sighed, "Well your father and I both agree that you are not going to be going out for a long time yet."

"I know, I know..."

Her Father had given her a stern lecture about responsibility and doing as she was told in the future. After about an hour of lecturing he had told her that she was confined to the castle for a month and she'd be given chores to do as her punishment for being reckless and disobedient. She hadn't argued, she supposed she deserved it even so she hated the fact that many of her chores were kitchen tasks, like doing the dishes and mopping the floors...

...

After Lynette had finished helping her mother she went to visit Gaston. The first thing she noticed was that he seemed troubled.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked plopping her self on the side of his bed.

"I've been thinking about some things," Gaston replied.

"Like what?"

"It's nothing...just old memories coming back to haunt me that's all," he gave her a smile to show her he was alright, " How has your day been?"

"Dull, like it always is. I know I sound like a brat but I hate being stuck here, I want to go and see far away places and do daring things. But I'm stuck here all the time. Even with you here life went back to being boring so quickly..."

"You want adventure like the kind you find in your books, maybe something like a quest or a crusade? Then once you've traveled you'll come home with riches and glory and the satisfaction of having done something worthwhile, right?"

"Exactly!" Lynette beamed at him pleased to see that he understood.

"It only works that way in books kid. It's only an adventure when it's not happening to you and in the real world happy endings only happen to the lucky few," said Gaston, " Do you want to know what a real adventure is like? I have a few stories from my days as a hunter where things didn't always go well."

Lynette's brow furrowed, she didn't like where this was going...

"When I was about your age I got some of my friends together and we went on a hunting trip. We were young and we thought we were indestructible so naturally we were a bit reckless. We started off tracking a herd of deer but none of paid any heed to the wolf tracks going in the same direction. After all wolves wouldn't attack a whole group of five men, or so we thought. None of us were more than sixteen years old or so and being that we were young and stupid we figured we could take on a pack of wolves if we had to.

We ended up running into the packs territory, before we knew it the wolves had circled us. The first one of us to go down was a boy named Jean, he didn't even have time to fire his arrow. A moment later everything was blood and fur and screaming and snarling. Some how I managed to get away with two of the others, I went to the families of the two boys that had died and gave them the news. There was no gain from that venture and the sad truth of it is that that's the sort of thing that usually happens. Adventures are for stories, real life is hard and sometimes you have to be harder if you want to survive."

He reached out a large clawed hand and patted her hair, "You remember the incident with the bear? How awful that was? Adventures are fun to read about but not to experience, sometimes the only reward you get is coming out of it all alive. Your stories aren't real and it's not smart to walk around with your head in the clouds thinking that things will turn out right just because you're brave enough to try."

"You sound like my parents," Lynette grumbled.

"Maybe you should listen to them more often, especially Belle, she's a smart woman,"

"When'd you get so wise? It's only been a couple of months and you're a completely different person,"

"Meeting you and seeing Belle again has done a lot for me. I spend so much of my time _thinking _now," Gaston said with mock lamentation.

"Thinking wasn't something you did a lot of?"

"Actually no, I thought it was bad for people to think a lot but I guess I was wrong about that, among other things..."

"Well, as long as you know now," said Lynette.

"Hmph, sometimes I think I know more than I want to."

"Regrets?"

"Lots."

"I'm sorry,"

Gaston let out a long, loud sigh. "No need to be sorry, every time I look back I like the Beast me better than the human me. Maybe I should just stay this way so I don't pick up all my old habits again."

"Don't say that! You can't just give up. I know you won't go back to your old ways because I'll keep an eye on you and make sure you don't," Lynette took his heavy paw in her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Gaston gave her a rueful smile. "You're a cute kid but if I really do revert back to my old self nothings going to stop me. I am Gaston after all," he said.

Lynette had to laugh at that, "Well good or bad I hope you stay Gaston," she kissed his furry cheek then stood, "I have to go do my chores now but I promise to come see you later."

With that she was gone. Gaston shook his head. Typical young girl, he hoped she had a long happy, and hopefully, safe life.

...

Lynette had just left Gaston's room when she nearly ran into Chip.

"Oh, hi Chip!" she said cheerily, she hoped he hadn't been listening on her conversation with Gaston...

"So who is this Beast really? Don't tell me you don't know," Chip folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her, his expression stern.

Oh dear, so much for that.

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," she said hoping that would be enough to deter Chip from further questions.

"Lynette, I'm not stupid. Why would he need to hide his identity?" Chip had, in fact, heard everything. He just wanted Lynette to be honest with him.

"It's not your concern Chip!" she growled, her temper flaring.

Chip frowned, "Nice attitude to take with your friend Lynette," he said shaking his head at her.

"Well don' t pry into my business!" she snapped back.

"Lynette, I think it's in your best interest if you come clean with me!" Chip seized her arms and forced her to look into his face. His features were grim, she'd never seen him so serious before in her life.

"Chip what are you-"

"Is he _Gaston_?"

Lynette froze. "You know?" she asked her eyes growing round as coins. That alone affirmed any suspicions he had.

Chip gave her a hard look, "Well, now I do," he said releasing her. "Lynette, do you have any idea who that man is?"

She bit her lip and looked away.

"So you do... Lynette, what's going on? I know you wouldn't have had us help him if you didn't trust him but knowing that man's history how can you? Lynette I was there when he rounded up that mob. I was the one who got your mother out of the cellar when he locked her and Maurice up."

"But that was twenty years ago...and you couldn't have been more than six," she said wondering how a six year-old boy could have done anything to help.

Chip flushed and turned his head, giving her an embarrassed sideways glance. "Well, actually I'd been a tea cup for ten years at that point...so I wasn't actually a boy in the strictest sense. I guess technically I'm thirty-six, not twenty-six but I didn't age while I was cursed. Most of us here are actually ten years older than we look..."

Lynette blinked, "Well, seems like everyone's been keeping secrets from me."

Chip shrugged. "The Master didn't want us talking about it, he wanted you to have a nice normal life," he ran a hand through his thick blond hair to push it away from his blue eyes, "he's also under the impression that if he doesn't talk about it or mention it, it can't happen again."

"Sounds like him alright," Lynette grumbled. Suddenly she grabbed Chip's shirt collar and pulled his face down to her level, "You _cannot _tell him about Gaston!" she hissed, "If Father finds out about him he'll kill him!"

Chip raised an eyebrow at her, "That's a bad thing is it?"

"Chip, please! You have to keep this between us. I know Gaston's done terrible things but he's changed! He' s different now and he's my friend. Please just trust me Chip!" Lynette begged.

Chip sighed and gave her a resigned nod, "Fine, but only because it's you."

Lynette let out a cheer and gave him a quick kiss before she dashed off to the kitchens to start on her chores.

Chip watched her go, his mouth agape. She'd kissed him...true it had only been a quick peck on the lips but it was still a kiss. Chip was to elated to give Gaston another thought for the rest of the day.

...

When Belle went to check on the beast she found him trying to walk around in his room.

"Monsieur, please! You shouldn't try to move around so much. You're injuries haven't healed!" she cried rushing to his side.

Gaston pulled away from her, "If I want to recover I need to exercise, muscles go to waste if you don't use them," he explained. Many times he'd been injured on a hunting trip and he knew how important it was to stay in shape. One of the reasons he had taken so much pride in his appearance was because he had been very careful to maintain his physique through rigorous training.

"That may be true but you shouldn't push yourself, you were attacked by a _bear_! It could take several weeks to fully recover," said Belle.

"I promise I'll rest if I start feeling tired," he spread his arms to show her that he was feeling fine. "See now? I'm not in much pain anymore and I feel well enough to move."

Belle looked doubtful but she didn't argue. "Just promise me you won't over exert yourself," she said.

He nodded, "You're awfully kind, aren't you? There aren't a lot of people who would help me you know."

Belle smiled at him, he loved it and hated it at the same time. Love it because he felt as though he'd won some great prize, hated it because it brought up old feelings and desires. He still wanted Belle, he couldn't lie to himself. After twenty years he still wished he could be with her, but it was different now. He was different and he knew that he couldn't hurt her or her family.

"You seem sad Monsieur Beast," said Belle noticing the melancholy expression on his face.

"Pay it no mind Belle, I'm fine...your husband is a lucky man, I'm glad he treats you well," he said sincerely meaning it.

"Thank you," more and more Belle couldn't help but feel that this beast was familiar to her. Perhaps it was because he was a beast like Adam had been and she was remembering what it was like to be around a beast again. Somehow she didn't think that was it, this beast was nothing like Adam. Where Adam had been angry and lashing out at everyone this Beast seemed sad and thoughtful. She suspected something was weighing on his conscience.

"How long have you been a beast?" she asked.

Gaston was silent for a moment, "Twenty years," he said at length.

Belle's eyes widened, "I'm sorry to hear that, is there any way for you to become human again? Or is it to late?" Adam had had until his twenty first birthday, while she wasn't certain what the stipulations for this beast were she was afraid that it was to late to help him.

"I don't even know at this point, it's not so bad being a beast. It's just lonely. Would you believe I was a very handsome man once?" _Would you believe you knew me? Would you believe I loved you?_ he added mentally.

Belle smiled at him, "I'm sure you were, but even if you don't have your looks you still have all of your other qualities,"

Gaston perked up at that, that was all very true. He was still, after all, a very talented individual.

"That I do. Even without my looks I've still got what counts," he said, his tone more cheerful than it had been since his arrival at the castle.

Belle gave him a wry smile, twenty years was a long time to be a beast. She wondered what he'd done to deserve being cursed. What ever it was, surely he'd made up for it by now. He seemed like a good sort of person and he was friendly. She couldn't imagine that he'd caused any kind of harm. She knew her husband had turned away a visitor but somehow this beast didn't seem the type to have done that.

"Forgive me for asking Monsieur, how did you come to be a beast,"

Gaston's cheerful mood abruptly vanished. How did he answer this question? He could tell Belle the truth then beg her forgiveness. He could lie, but he didn't want to. He was tired of being dishonest and weary of hiding.

"I'd rather not discuss it, not just yet anyway," he sighed. _Coward, that was your chance to come clean and you blew it_, he berated himself.

"I understand," said Belle inclining her head towards him to show that she wouldn't press him for more information.

"Would it be alright if I wandered around the castle?" he asked, he was getting bored coped up in this room all by himself. He had never been one who liked to remain idle for to long.

"I don't see why not, you're our guest so you're welcome to make yourself at home," replied Belle.

...

Having received permission to wander the castle as he pleased Gaston wasted no time in exploring his new surroundings. The castle was huge, all his life he'd never seen anything so grand. Hallways lined with suits of armor, fancy stained glass windows, a ballroom and more servants than there were people in the whole of the village! How could Lynette want to be anywhere else? This was pure luxury! By the standards of the rest of the peasants Gaston had been quite wealthy, he'd made a lot of profit from his hunting (enough that he'd been able to bribe D'Arque into locking up Belle's father) and he'd even had his own chair at the tavern. All that was nothing compared to this, just the furniture in one room was worth more than he'd ever seen in his life.

He was also amazed that most of the servants he encountered seemed unphased by the fact that a large beast was wandering the halls. It was almost enough to make him forget about his current form for a bit. He wandered until he felt his wounds start to ache. His arm in particular was throbbing a bit, he noticed a nearby open door and went into the room hoping there would be a seat he could use for a few minutes.

He was already halfway in when he notices that there was an occupant, a plump little old lady with white hair and spectacles was sitting in a chair by the fire. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry ma'am, I didn't know there was anyone here," he said backing towards the door.

Mrs. Potts gave a small start at the site of the hulking monster but she shrugged it off, she's seen stranger things in her long life, "It's quite alright love, come on in and sit down. You seem a bit winded," she gestured to a large wing-back chair across from hers.

"Thank you," Gaston seated himself in the chair, relieved and a bit surprised that he hadn't given the woman a heart attack. She looked so old he thought a strong gust of wind could have broken her.

"Don't thank me my dear, I'm glad for the company, I'm Mrs Potts by the way."

"Just call me Beast. Don't people come and see you?"

"My son takes good care of me, but he's a busy young man and he can't spend all of his day looking after his old mother. Besides, " Mrs. Potts' blue eyes twinkled brightly, "he's in love with the young princess. It's my fondest wish that those two marry and live happily ever after. I just hope I live long enough to see it."

Gaston regarded her seriously, "You're sick aren't you?" he asked softly.

"No love, just very old. Old and a little tired, it'll be time for me to leave this world soon enough," noticing the sad look on the beast's face she smiled, "Chin up dear, I've had a good long life full of love and happiness. I'm more than ready to go by now."

A long life full of love and happiness, could Gaston say the same for himself? He'd been idolized by the villagers but none of them had really loved him and he certainly hadn't loved anyone more than himself. He hadn't spent more than five minutes with this old woman but he knew that when she passed people would cry for her. Had anyone cried for him? He'd had so much, wealth, good looks and popularity but could he say for himself that when it came time for him to die he'd be as contented as this little old woman?

"How did you find love and happiness?" Gaston genuinely wanted to know.

"Oh it's not difficult, when you love the people around you it fills your heart to the brim and makes everything bright, even when times are hard. There are all kinds of love my dear, it only takes one of them to bring you joy beyond measure."

Gaston thought about it, he had loved Belle and still did, but all that did was hurt him whenever he looked at her. It wasn't the right kind of love either, he didn't love her enough, not the way he should have. In a way he loved Lynette, she was a nice kid. Maybe if he concentrated on the people he cared about being a beast would be easier to bear.

"Maybe you're right, but I've never really loved anyone before, not more than myself anyway. Is it hard to do?" he asked.

"I've never found it so, but people are different. I'm sure if you surround yourself with the right people it will all work out."

"Mrs. Potts?"

"Yes dear?"

"Would you mind if I came and talked to you more often?" Gaston didn't know why, but he felt drawn to the old woman. Perhaps it was because she was kind, although he wasn't entirely certain why he cared about this old woman. Something she had said had touched him deeply, perhaps because she seemed like such an insignificant sort of person. After all she was only a poor old woman, yet she knew what real happiness was and she wasn't afraid of the end of her life. What ever the reason, he felt he should have known someone like her sooner. Perhaps she should have been his mother, or a teacher. He was certain that no one who knew this woman could ever turn out wrong.

Mrs. Potts smiled at him, "You're more than welcome, as I said, I could use the company."


	17. Chapter 17

Several days passed. Gaston made regular visits to Mrs. Potts. He'd never had anyone with whom he could simply sit and talk without having to worry about his image or reputation. It wasn't long before he found himself growing attached to the old lady. For her part Mrs Potts was pleased to have someone to talk to, she'd been feeling lonely being stuck in her room alone most of the day.

...

Mrs Potts glanced at the clock on her mantel place. It was nearing seven so she knew she could expect her new friend to arrive at any moment. She looked forward to his visits, for the first time in years it was as though she had a purpose again. Although she couldn't say exactly what that purpose was she knew that some how she would help her new friend. She glanced up at the clock again. It was almost time. Soft knocking at the door caught her attention.

"Come in," she called.

It was not her new friend, as she had supposed, but rather her son Chip who walked into her room with a tea tray and his usual smile.

"Hello mother, how are you this evening?"

"I'm just fine, thank you my dear," replied Mrs. Potts.

"You've been in a better mood than usual lately," Chip remarked as he placed the tray on the small table beside his mother's chair. He bent and kissed her cheek then poured her a cup of tea.

"I've been getting a visitor," she said "he should be here soon, he's been visiting me regularly for some time now."

As if on cue there was again, a knock at the door.

"That'll be him I believe. Chip, would you be a dear and open the door for me?"

Chip nodded and did as he was asked. To his horror the person on the other side was none other than Gaston.

"You?" he cried resisting the urge to slam the door in the beast's face.

Gaston was taken aback for a minute then he realized that this young man must have been Mrs. Pott's son. He supposed the lad was shocked by the appearance of a large beast at his mother's door.

"Easy there boy, I'm not going to cause any trouble," he said.

Chip bristled, "What do you want with my mother?" he demanded.

Gaston held up his large paws in a pacifying gesture, "Nothing, I'm not going to hurt her."

"Chip what's gotten in to you? I raised you better than this," Mrs. Potts said sternly.

Chip placed himself between Gaston and his mother.

"You don't really know him! He's not just a poor cursed soul, he's _Gaston_! He's the man who led the attack on the castle 20 years ago."

Mrs Potts looked from her son to the the beast, "Is this true?" she asked, fixing her bright blue eyes on Gaston.

He looked away. All this time she'd been so kind to him and now he was certain that he had disappointed her.

"It's true," he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"_Sorry_? is that all you have to say for yourself? Chip hissed, "After everything you did do you really think-"

"I forgive you."

Chip froze mid-sentence and stared at his mother, "you..._what_?"

"I forgive him, he's genuinely sorry and twenty years is to long to hate someone," Mrs. Potts polished her spectacles on her shirt and placed them on her nose.

"Come here Gaston, and let me have a look at you," she said.

Gaston's countenance was almost meek as he shuffled over to the old woman. Chip watched the two of them in a state of trance-like fascination, what was his mother doing?

Mrs. Potts took Gaston's Leonine face in her wrinkled hands and peered into his eyes. She remembered the young man who had stormed the castle. He had seemed a madman to her at the time. Gaston's sky blue eyes gleamed back at her with hope and fear as he bore her scrutiny. What ever Mrs. Potts had been searching for she must have found because after a moment she smiled at him.

"I think he's changed, I can see it in his face. This is not an evil man. I do believe he's come as far as The Master did," she said.

Chip sighed, "First Lynette now you, I suppose there must be something to all of this changed man story I keep hearing."

Mrs. Potts chuckled and released Gaston, "I think he deserves another chance," she said.

Gaston was relieved, it seemed that he could be forgiven. There was still one thing nagging at his mind though: how would he ever tell Bell who he really was?

...

It wasn't long after Chip left his mother that he ran into Lynette.

"Well, it looks like you're not the only one who thinks Gaston has changed, my mother's made friends with him," he said to her.

"You don't sound pleased," she remarked.

"I still have my doubts, but I'll leave it be for now," Chip's mind was wandering to other things, for instance the kiss Lynette had given him. He wanted to bring it up but didn't know how. He really wanted to tell her what his feelings were and how much she meant to him but he had no words.

"I think there's something else you want to talk about," Lynette raised her eyebrows at him in question.

Chip chewed his lip, as usual she seemed to know him to well...

"Lynette, why did you kiss me that day when I confronted you about Gaston?"

She blinked at him in mild surprise, "I kissed you?"

Chip groaned, "You don't remember? I was telling you that I'd keep your secret and then you..." rather than explain to her what she had done Chip took her face in his hands and set his lips firmly against hers. When he pulled away she was gaping at him.

Lynette's mind was in a whirl, never in her life had she experienced anything so very..._right_.

"Chip...I didn't realize, why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked turning a shade of pink.

Chip ducked his head awkwardly, he wondered whether that had been the best idea.

"Well, I wanted to. It's just...I'm a servant and you're The Master's daughter and well, I didn't think you liked me,"

Lynette seized his shirt collar and pulled him down to her level so that their noses almost touched.

"Kiss me again?"

* * *

_Note:_

_Sorry this took longer than usual, I was busy starting on a new story. I recently watched the movie The Princess and The Frog and was inspired to start another fanfiction. I posted it on this site and hope anyone who enjoys this will give it a read._

_many thanks_

_~ Enos_


	18. Chapter 18

Winter left and within a few weeks, the trees began to turn green and wildflowers bloomed in the courtyard. It was spring...and Lynette was determined to be married. Both Dietrich and Gaston were invited to stay for the wedding and both agreed, although Dietrich somewhat resentfully. Before long the whole of the castle was busy setting up decorations and making plans.

...

"This can't be happening, Belle!"

"Well, it is."

"It's too soon!"

"You wanted her to settle down and marry,"

"She'd too young!"

"She's nearly eighteen."

"What do I do?"

"Hold this so I can fix the sleeves."

Adam grimaced with distaste as though the wedding gown Belle handed him was the contaminated burial shroud of a plague victim, "I just didn't expect things to go so quickly, I thought she'd be engaged for a few years not getting married right away!"

"Lynette and Chip have known each other for years...stop fiddling with the neckline! You'll wrinkle it. It needs to be done by the end of the week!" said Belle pushing a lock of hair off of her brow. She fixed her dark eyes on her husband, he'd been impossible to live with ever since Lynette had told him that she and Chip wanted to get married.

"Are you sure it's not to low cut?" Adam frowned.

"It's fine."

"It is a bit revealing," he persisted.

"Adam..._stop it_."

"You could move it up just a few inches..."

"Adam!"

Adam sighed and fell silent. It was his own fault he supposed, he'd invited Dietrich here and made the suggestion she start thinking about marriage. He just hadn't know at the time that he wasn't ready to let her go...

...

"Cogsworth is it not grand? Is it not wonderful?" Lumiere said twirling around the dining hall giving people instructions, "You there! More ribbon!" and "I want roses not lilies! Bring me a basket of roses!"

A skinny servant lad named Pierre rushed over and handed him a basket. "Here you are sir! Fresh picked."

"Thank you my boy...now go get more!"

"Lumier can't we keep it simple? you know The Master doesn't approve this wedding..." Cogsworth flinched as the musicians started to rehearse the wedding march.

"Simple? Are you mad? This may be the last wedding I get to plan, I'm not young anymore and if this must be my last then it shall be the grandest ever!" Lumiere made an emphatic gesture with his basket of roses sending the flowers everywhere.

"But The Master said-"

"Forget The Master and think for yourself! This is worth anything he may do to us! He may lock us in the dungeon until we wither away into dust but I will coordinate this wedding!"

Cogworth let out a moan of despair as Lumiere dragged him to the kitchens to show him the menu.

...

Gaston felt his heart sinking as he observed all of the merriment going on around the castle, he had thought that by now he himself would be a wedded man with a brood of strapping boys to his name, perhaps a daughter too, but just one...with six brothers. Picture it, a gorgeous wife cooking up his latest kill, his sons playing with the dogs and a cute little girl with a ribbon in her hair. It was a nice image and he wondered if he'd be there now had he not gotten mixed up in all of this beast business. No doubt he'd still be a self-absorbed buffoon though...it was puzzling, he was wiser and a better person as a beast but he wasn't really happy. As a human he was ignorant and unkind but not truly discontent. What was the better payoff? At this moment in time he wasn't quite sure. He had friends now but he was still a lowly beast. Before he'd only thought he had friends. He was certain none of the triplets he'd flirted with from time to time would touch him now if they'd been paid to do it. He pushed it all from his mind. It was to confusing and all of this constant _thinking _was starting to hurt his head. He should be happy for Lynette, she was going to marry the skinny kitchen boy she loved, and although Gaston didn't quite understand what was so great about him he knew that she was excited about the whole thing. As he wandered around the castle he came upon the moping German Prince sitting dejectedly on the bottom of the grand staircase.

"Something wrong boy?"

Dietrich looked up, an expression of surprise flashed across his face before he put on a falsely polite smile, "Oh no. I'm quite fine Herr Beast, thank you for asking."

The young man was a poor actor, any one with observation skills could have seen he was depressed. Gaston's first impulse was to walk away, Dietrich had never warmed up to him; even so he tried to be polite it was very clear that he was uncomfortable around a giant beast. Nonetheless, Gaston decided to ask him again.

"I can see that you're not happy about something, what is it?"

Dietrich sighed, "Well if you must know, I came here with the expectation that I'd marry a princess. When this wedding is over I'll have to explain to my father that I lost her to a kitchen boy. I'm not even going to mention _you,_ the old man will think I'm suffering delusions."

Gaston couldn't help but be a bit amused. Sure, he felt bad for the kid but honestly the thought of a handsome, educated fellow like him losing out to Chip was sort of funny, "Well I guess you don't get anywhere on looks and style alone do you?"

Dietrich scoffed at him and stood, he didn't have to take this. He'd go to his room and find something to do...maybe he'd bring one of the maids with him.

"Hey kid, don't walk off I wasn't laughing at you. Well, not much anyway. I used to think my good looks and talent were all I ever needed in life but the truth is that love needs more than that to really work," said Gaston.

"Well, actually I didn't come to marry for love. I'll be lucky to end up married to someone I _like_. I can only wed a princess and Lynette was the most interesting one. I don't love her and I didn't expect her to love me. It was a matter of duty more than anything else," replied Dietrich, "Still, there was an expectation that I would come home with a princess to marry."

Gaston winced, for a man who chased maids around the castle and acted like he didn't have a care in the world, he seemed really serious about his duties.

"I thought being a prince was the easiest job in the world," he said.

"Being a_ prince _is easy, I'm not ruling a country yet and my only responsibility is to get married. Being a king is the hard part because then everything I do will impact my people, the money I spend, the way I act around other nobles. I have to think of all of those people first and my own wants and needs last. If I want my country to be truly great then I'll do what's _best_, not what I necessarily want," Dietrich frowned and pushed his dark hair over his shoulder, "If I make a bad decision the peasants pay the price. It's a lot of weight."

Gaston nodded, "Well, sorry to hear that. I'm sure you'll do alright though. I don't know much about being a king but you at least sound like you have good intentions."

Dietrich nodded but didn't look to sure of himself. "I try,"

"Well, keep trying. Try until you get it right, it's the only way you get good at anything," said Gaston dismissively.

"You're awfully confidant,"

"I know," Gaston beamed at him proudly.

"Well, thanks for the advice. I'll be going now," Dietrich did feel a little better but, honestly, he was talking about royal matters to a beast!

...

Lynette in the library reading on the sofa by the large window, or trying to anyway...she couldn't concentrate on her book because her mind kept wandering back to the impending wedding. She loved Chip, she really did, but she wondered if it wall all going a bit fast. A soft knocking on the library door caught her attention. "Come in," she called.

Chip had an arm full of fresh flowers for her, "How are you doing?" he asked anxiously. He knew it she was having some doubts about marrying so soon, but he also knew that if she really didn't want to go through with it she would have canceled.

"I'm fine Chip," said Lynette with a smile.

Chip bit his lip. "You know, if you want to wait a little longer we can. Just not too long alright? I want my mother to see it."

"How's she doing?"

Chip sighed and sat next to her on the sofa, "She's alright now, but she's so tired all the time."

"She's not sick is she?" Lynette wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his shoulder.

"No...she's old Lynette, that's all it is. I don't think she has a lot of time left," Chip buried his face in her hair with a sigh.

"Are you sure? She seemed alright yesterday, a little frail but she was in good spirits," Lynette's brow furrowed.

"She likes to let on that she's just fine but I can always tell when somethings wrong. I don't know what to do for her anymore, I make sure she eats right and gets enough rest but I can't stop time. I know it's soon but it's important to her that she gets to see our wedding," he took her hands and looked into her face, his clear blue eyes expectant and pleading.

Lynette nodded, "I want her there to Chip, I think everyone does. We all love her," she said.

Chip leaned over and kissed her lips, taking her hand and threading his fingers through hers, "There's no one I'd rather marry than you, I love you," he said.

"I love you too."

...

That evening in town...

"I'm telling you there's a beast, at the castle! I saw him with my own eyes," the thin servant known as Pierre slammed his mug onto the bar as he told anyone who'd listen about the castle's new resident monster.

The little bartender snorted, "There hasn't been word of a beast since Gaston disappeared, and that was twenty years ago! "

"It's true," Pierre swayed a bit, his eyes unfocused and a red flush had settled across his cheeks.

"You're drunk," commented the bartender, but he was a bit intrigued, he'd been working the bar here for almost a decade now ,and been a customer long before that, and no one, no matter how drunk had mentioned a beast. Well, no one but one person twenty years ago.

"Am...am not! An' I'm not lyin' either! There's a ten-foot monstrous beast with big fangs and dark fur up at tha' castle. I should-I should know I work there!" Pierre banged his mug on the bar again, the gesture made him totter dangerously.

The Bartender's skepticism abated slightly, if he remembered correctly that was the same description that Maurice had given once. Yes, twenty years ago when he's been in the tavern bolstering Gaston's ego with all the other boys Maurice had come stumbling in raving about a beast having kidnapped his daughter. "You know Pierre, maybe there's something to that beast story of yours, " he said refilling the man's mug. Perhaps he could round up the boys later tonight, twenty years ago they'd all stormed the castle and gone after the beast. Gaston had been their leader. Poor, brave, Gaston who had been lost to them. The short, chubby little man hung up his apron. Now that he thought about it he was quite sure that this was the beast that had killed him. If that was true then he had to convince the boys to come with him and storm the castle again. Even if the inventor's daughter and her husband were king and queen they had no right to harbor a dangerous beast! He grabbed his coat and made ready to close the tavern for the night. "Well Le Fou, it's time to avenge Gaston!" he said to himself as he grabbed a torch and headed out.


	19. Chapter 19

Later that week LeFou found Tom, Dick and Stanley in their respective homes with their wives and children, they each expressed mild annoyance at being summoned to the Tavern late at night after closing hours (less than a few short hours until sunrise); but they came nonetheless.

"Alright LeFou, what do you want?" Stanly demanded. He was the largest out of the bunch and ever since Gaston had disappeared he'd been the town's number one hunter. It had given him a bit of an ego although, his friends did their best to keep him humble by pointing out that in twenty years he hadn't even come close to Gaston's record.

"I called all of you up because I need your help," LeFou began, dropping his voice to a whisper as he urged the three men to gather around the table, the tavern was empty but he didn't want to take chances.

"Well get on with it!" hissed Tom, the years had not been kind to him. He was balding and missing several teeth but he still tried to dress well and look impressive.

"Do you boys remember storming that castle with Gaston?"

The three rolled there eyes at LeFou, twenty years and he was still fixating over Gaston. It was a bit sad really but none of them were surprised.

"You called us up at this ungodly hour of the night just to gab about Gaston? Jesus Lefou, get over it. The man is dead and the beast that killed 'im is long gone," said Dick.

"Wrong!" said LeFou make a dramatic gesture with his right hand in the air, "The beast isn't dead! It's come back to the castle, you know what that means? We owe it to Gaston to slay that monster!"

Ten, perhaps even five years ago this may have inspired rage and the desire for vengeance but now the three merely looked from one another to LeFou and shook their heads.

"Ain't worth it."

"No...I've got a wife and three little ones now. I don't want to take the risk."

"Gaston's dead, leave him that way and forget about the beast."

LeFou was shocked, "You...you don't want to come with me?" he asked. He was flabbergasted, while the fact that Gaston simply faded into memory with the rest of the town hadn't entirely escaped him, he couldn't believe that even Gaston's old friends seemed to have moved on...How could that be? Wasn't Gaston important anymore? It was as if LeFou's idol was just another man to these people. A man they had briefly admired but ultimatly no more important than any other. It was disheartening.

"LeFou, be reasonable. There are so many things that could go wrong with this plan it's not worth it to attempt it. Besides you can't know for sure there's actually a beast at the castle. You could get in real trouble if the King and Queen find out what you're up to," said Tom.

"Yeah, Tom's got the right idea. Why doncha ferget this Gaston business and try to improve your own life," said Dick.

LeFou glared at them, how could they be such traitors? So they didn't want to join him. Well, Gaston's former toady would not be thwarted.

"Fine! If you won't come with me then I'll go by myself," he cried grabbing a torch from the wall and storming out to the stables for a horse.

Tom looked from Dick to Stanley to see if either of them were going to try and stop Lefou. When they did nothing more than shake their heads at him and reach for their coats he shrugged back and donned his cloak with a sigh, he figured he might at least follow the little runt to make sure he didn't get hurt. Sensing his intentions Stanley threw him an exasperated glance.

"You know, Tom, If you keep coddling him he'll never move on. I know he's not much by way of looks or brains but he could still have found himself a wife and had some kids. Maybe if you let him make a mistake instead of always intervening when he does something stupid like this he'd learn something."

"I say ferget 'im all together. We only ever tolerated the squirt 'cause Gaston didn't want us roughin' up his personal attendant. Now that Gaston's long dead there's no reason to care what happens to LeFou anymore. Let the madman do what he wants," said Dick.

Tom glared at them, "I have to say I'm a little ashamed of you. We come here every night and take advantage of the free drinks he gives us but am I really the only one with the decency to be concerned about his saftey?"

"Come off it Tom! He'll never give up on Gaston, go home to your family like Dick and I are doing. LeFou will only drag you down with him," said Stanley.

Tom just sighed and went to chase off after LeFou. Both Dick and Stanley returned to their homes and thought no more of it, this wasn't the first time LeFou had started trouble of some kind, nor was it the first time Tom had gone after him. Neither of them expected that LeFou would make it to the castle sometime in the afternoon to crash a wedding.

...

Mrs. Potts waited in her room for her friend to arrive. As she was old and frail she could no longer traverse the stairs and Gaston had come up with the idea to carry her. Initially Chip had been against it because he was afraid that Gaston didn't know how to be gentle enough with her but Gaston was determined. He spent the full week moving chairs and tables up and down the stairs to practice being gentle. Lynette had laughed at him when he had moved the same armchair up and down the grand staircase over twenty times in the same day, balancing a glass vase in the cushion so that he'd learn how to be careful, until he could do it without breaking a single vase repeatedly. After seeing his progress Chip relented and gave him permission to carry her rocking chair downstairs with her in it.

When Gaston arrived Mrs. Potts was pleasantly surprised to see that he'd been given a fine suit for the wedding. "My don't you look handsome, dearie," she said smiling at him.

Gaston grinned and turned so she could see his new jacket. Lynette had given him a selection to chose from and he'd picked a dark red one with light gold trim and shiny buttons.. Red was his color if he did say so himself. "Are you ready to go down yet?" he asked walking over to her seat.

Mrs. Potts nodded and he moved to the side of the chair, he lifted it easily keeping his enormous arms around the chair and Mrs. Potts so that she was secure. "They won't start the ceremony without us so I'll take my time going down the stairs," he said. He'd come a long way since he'd taken Lynette to his cave, as he carefully began his descent down the long staircase he didn't think of anything but Mrs. Potts safety. Years ago he would have wanted something for himself as a reward for his "kindness" but now he felt that making this little, old woman's wish to see her son marry was a better reward than anything he could have asked for. It was the first time he had ever done anything purely for the sake of someone else and he didn't even notice that he was being selfless. But Mrs. Potts did...

"You've done so very well, Love, I'm proud of you," she said patting his furry cheek.

Gaston had heard praise all of his life: "Gaston you're the greatest!" or "No one does anything like Gaston!". Well the last one he'd used himself from time to time, but as far as he was concerned it still counted. His own opinion about himself was as good as anyone else's. Somehow hearing "I'm proud of you" was different...better. It was better, and it pleased him to no end to hear Mrs. Potts say it. He took a small break when they reached the first of the four landings that branched off into different areas of the castle. Setting her rocking chair down carefully he stopped to catch his breath. Well, that was the first quarter down, three fourths more to go...

...

Downstairs the wedding was all set up in the great hall and ready to move, the only thing left was the mother of the groom to arrive.

"Master should I perhaps go and assist Monsieur Beast?" offered Lumiere looking at Adam apprehensively. It was Belle, however, who responded to him.

"They'll be fine, he's practiced for this. It's just going to take awhile."

Lumiere nodded. Adam said nothing, he was watching his daughter in her wedding gown with a glum expression. The Beast could take all week for all he cared...

...

LeFou's torch had burned out by the time he reached the castle, not that he needed it anymore, it was noon and the sun was shining. Still he rifled about in his coat for his matches. While he'd been walking around in the forest he'd come up with a plan. As it was just him he couldn't hope to take on the beast and the entire castle on his own...but it was warm out and it hadn't rained in a few days. He was certain there was plenty of nice dry hay in the stables...

...

When Tom reached the castle LeFou was no where in sight, but a stream of black smoke was rising into the air from behind the castle. Dismounting his horse he ran up to the entrance. "Hey! Everyone! The castle's burning!" he cried pounding on the doors, he doubted anyone inside could hear him but judging from the smoke the fire was spreading rapidly. He tugged at the door, locked. Damn!

Running to the back to look for away in he found that the whole of the stables was ablaze, LeFou was standing nearby watching the flames reach the other parts of the castle.

"What have you done? There are people in there!" Tom shouted lifting the little man by his shirtfront.

"They shouldn't have sided with Belle and that Beast...they deserve to pay," was LeFou's reply.

Tom thought about arguing but he could see in LeFou's eyes that the man was beyond reason, dropping him he tried to find another way in. But it wasn't until the flames spread and reached the kitchens that the doors opened and a frightened crowd began to flood through the doors.

...

Within minutes of hitting the kitchens the flames spread to the hallways. It wasn't long before the wedding party evacuated,

"Wait! What about my mother she's still on the staircase!" cried Chip as he was shoved outside along with Dietrich and the royal family.

"I will go after her!" Lumiere cried, "First we must get the Master and his family out of the castle. Stay with Lynette, Cogsworth and I will go back for your mother,"

"Be careful!" cautioned Chip as they were taken to the grounds.

...

Gaston was on the second landing from the top when he noticed the smell of smoke. Seeing his body tense Mrs. Potts addressed him.

"What is it deary?"

"Smoke...somethings burning," he said, his tail swished back in agitation. He ran down and sure enough flames were eating their way up the staircase. Dropping to all fours he made a dash back to Mrs. Potts, "There's a fire! come on quick we have to get out of here!" he cried. He lifted the woman out of her chair and tucked her into his chest as he dashed back upstairs. He didn't know how he'd get down from there, but there was no way to use the staircase to get to the great hall.

...

"Oh no! Lumiere look!" Cogsworth cried in dismay, the flames had already risen to the stairs causing them to smolder and crumble. The entire hall was ablaze and Lumiere and Cogsworth had no way to go and look for Mrs. Potts and the Beast.

"Oh God no," Lumiere moaned as he peered through the thick smoke to watch the fire further engulf the castle.

There was nothing they could do except get themselves to saftey and pray that their friends made it out alive.

...

Gaston ran until he reached a room in the west wing, he knew this room! He'd seen it before twenty years ago. That meant there was a balcony outside and a way to climb. It be difficult with Mrs. Potts in one arm but he'd have to try. "Hang on Mrs. Potts! I'm going to get us out of here!" With his free arm he smashed the stained glass window and nimbly climbed outside.

Mrs. Potts was only a little frightened as she held onto Gaston. Once upon a time she would have been terrified to know that her life was in his hands but now she didn' t think she could be any safer in this situation. "You can do it my Dear, I know you can," she said to him. Gaston nodded and kept one arm around her as he used his other arm and his feet to scale the castle walls.

_Please...let it work! I don't want anything more in the world than to get Mrs. Potts to saftey!_ he prayed.

...

He was halfway down now, just a bit farther. His arms were growing tired but he shrugged off the feeling and kept climbing, wedging his claws into the cracks and footholds as best he could. He nearly slipped when a nearby window exploded and the burst of flame nearly scorched him. Mrs. Potts was still alright, that was all that mattered. He didn't care if he died, he wasn't going to let anything happen to her!

...

"I see them look!" cried Dietrich pointing to the figure moving along the castle wall.

"He's got her! They're alright!" Lynette hugged Chip, the group ran to the castle and watched anxiously as the two got closer to the ground.

"Hey...something's happening to the Beast." said Dietrich straining to get a better look.

...

Not much further now...Gaston's arms felt heavy, his grip was getting weaker and his claws weren't gripping the stones like they should have been. Mrs. Potts, was getting heavier to and there was something wrong with his vision...he didn't know if it was from the fire or the smoke but there was a strange light playing around the edges of his eyesight that made it hard to see._ Almost there...No! _his grip faltered and instead of climbing he found himself sliding for a brief moment as his hand scraped over the rough stone. Then he fell...

...very slowly...

One arm still securely around Mrs. Potts he reached the other up towards the wall, instinctively seeking something to grip. He blinked...his hand was bare, furless and there were smooth nails instead of claws. It was actually a hand! Sparks swirled around him and instead of landing with a sharp splat his bare feet gently touched the ground.

"Well bless my soul," Mrs. Potts whispered in awe, "I knew you had it in you my Dear."

...

When Belle, Adam, Lynette, Chip and the others arrive they saw that the Beast was no longer a beast. They saw instead the back of a tall, broad shouldered man with thick, black hair hanging freely past his shoulders.

Chip ran to his mother and hugged her. "I was afraid..." he mumbled into her white hair.

"I was in good hands Love," Mrs. Potts assured him.

Through this Gaston kept his back to Belle and Adam. What a very inconvenient time for the curse to break...

"Monsieur, turn around."

It was Belle's voice making the request, he could tell from her tone that she was suspicious...he hesitated, what would she do when she recognized him? Realizing that he would have to face her sooner or later, he turned.

Belle's eyes widened, "It's not possible!" she gasped.

The man before her looked nothing like the Beast he had been. A firm, square jaw with a cleft chin and strong, defined cheekbones made up the handsome face of a blue eyed man in his mid forties. His face was marred only by a long gash that ran from temple to jaw on the left side of his face...where the bear had clawed the Beast.

"Gaston," she said quietly. Even twenty years older he was still recognizable as Gaston, his face was a touch more gaunt, there were subtle lines here and there making him look much more rugged and his hair was streaked with iron grey strands, but it couldn't be anyone but him.

Gaston nodded, "Yes."

They stared at each other wordlessly until the King broke the tension...

"YOU?" cried Adam. "IT'S BEEN YOU ALL ALONG? GODDAMN SON OF A BITCH!

Gaston frowned, he supposed he should have expected that reaction but he _had_ just saved Mrs. Potts, surely the accusations and swearing could have waited. "Yes it's me, what are you going to do about it?" he huffed, he wasn't the type to be meek. It just wasn't in his nature and he didn't care if this man was in the right or not, he wouldn't be spoken to like that...

Adam was on the verge of telling him just what he was going to do about it when Mrs. Potts intervened.

"Stop your fussing! What's in the past is in the past. If you know what's best for everyone you'll let it go. He's made up for it and it's time you learned to forgive," she said wagging her finger sternly at Adam.

"He _stabbed_ me!"

"I'm sorry," said Gaston.

"W-What?" a muscle twitched in Adam's cheek as he directed his gaze to Gaston.

"I apologize."

"Y-you...that doesn't-you can't just...Arrrrgh! _That doesn't change what happened_!" Adam snarled,

"Adam, let it go," said Belle.

Adam gave an irate growl and stood beside her, "Belle you can't just expect me to forget about it!"

"I don't. I don't expect you to make friends with him or pretend nothing happened. But he did save Mrs. Potts and he's not a beast anymore,.I think he's a changed man now. We don't have to accept him into our lives, but it's time to finish this," said Belle, she turned her attention to Gaston.

Gaston stood, his blue eyes were fixed on her in apprehension. He was actually frightened of what she was going to say to him. He'd tried so hard this past month to prove he was a good man, someone she didn't have to hate or be afraid of. She'd been his friend, he may have been Gaston but he was still the Beast too. It just wouldn't be fair if she hated him now, after all of his progress and hard work! Her words to her husband had made him hopeful. He didn't think he could take the agony of knowing that she would hate him forever no matter what he did.

"I forgive you,"

There was a moment of shock, then...relief, pure relief as he understood what she said. He was forgiven. He didn't need to feel guilty anymore and now he finally knew..._Belle did not hate him_. He gave her a look of sheer gratitude and a nod of affirmation. He couldn't speak for the lump in his throat. Human again and with Belle's forgiveness he was truly free of his curse.

...

The next several weeks were devoted to repairing the castle and rescheduling Chip and Lynette's wedding, eventually they found out what exactly had caused the fire that had destroyed a good third of their home...

It was Tom who brought LeFou to the King, by passing LeFou off as insane (not at all a difficult task at this point) Tom managed to get the King to allow him custody of him. After Adam had dismissed them they crossed paths with Gaston on the way out, when Gaston saw the little man he ran to him.

"LeFou? What are you doing here? What's gone on with you?" he asked. He didn't recognize Tom at first, not until Tom recognized him.

"Gaston? Oh my God, you're alive," Tom quite shocked. Although for the most part he looked like Gaston the man before him was different. He carried himself differently and there was a new depth to his eyes that reflected emotions Tom wasn't aware Gaston had.

"What are you two talking about?" grumbled LeFou. For some reason Tom seemed to think this stranger was Gaston. But that wasn't possible, Gaston was much younger and handsomer. This man was middle-aged and his face was scarred. Not to mention the state of his hair! Left hanging loose and a little ragged with it's greying strands. He was imperfect! How could he be Gaston if he wasn't perfect? He couldn't! Lefou's mental image of Gaston had distorted a bit over the years, Gaston growing more and more magnificent in his mind every time he thought to remember him. The perfect paragon LeFou had dreamed up was only vaguely reminiscent of the old Gaston and certainly not at all like the new one.

"LeFou, it's me! Gaston!"

LeFou scoffed, "You wish, Gaston was perfect. You're just some regular man." he said.

"He hasn't been quite right since you disappeared," Tom explained, "Of course we didn't realize just how bad it was...he's completely lost his mind."

Gaston sighed. "Has much changed in town?" he asked.

"Well, no not really. We all have families now but that's about it. LeFou wouldn't let us take down your portrait in the Tavern."

Gaston nodded, "I think I'll go back into town with you, I've been missing it."

"Alright...say, how did you survive and where have you been for twenty years?" asked Tom.

Gaston grinned, "Why don't you buy me a drink when we get to the Tavern and I'll tell you and the boys everything. It's a great story!" he said.

Tom didn't know whether to laugh or groan...it seemed Gaston was back, and not quite as completely changed as he seemed.

...

_Well, we're getting near the closing part of the story. I think my next chapter will be my last for this one. I can't say when it will be up, but hopefully I'll have it done quicker than the last few..._

_much love_

_Enos_


	20. Chapter 20

When Tom lead him to the town Gaston was surprised to see how little the town had changed. Most of the same shops were still there and people were running about buying and selling just as they had when he'd left. It was a bit jarring to think that his disappearance hadn't had much of an impact on the town. But the thought didn't disturb him as it once would have, life goes on. The world wouldn't stop turning without him in it and he was, surprisingly, fine with that. A sudden idea came to him. He pulled up the hood of a cloak he'd borrowed from he castle so that his face was hidden.

"Hey Tom, how about you don't tell everyone I'm back just yet? I want to have a look around town first," he said.

Tom blinked at him in surprise, "Well, alright if that's what you want." he said. He was still surprised by this new Gaston. Throughout the whole journey back to the village he hadn't once talked about himself and now he wanted to look around without being recognized. The old Gaston would have orchestrated a parade in honor of his return...

"That's what I want Tom, you go take care of LeFou. I'll meet you at the Tavern this evening."

Gaston left Tom and began wandering around. There went the baker with his tray, like always. True he was much older now, and he moved more slowly but that was the same baker he'd known twenty years ago. The same butcher, gunsmith and blacksmith. He paused when he reached the bookshop. He couldn't say he remembered who had run it but he was certain it wasn't the pretty young woman stocking the shelves. He'd never been in the bookshop before in his life, but there was no time like the present.

When he stepped in he gave the young woman a once over. Very pretty; long, flowing, chestnut hair, big blue eyes and the kind of figure that a real man could appreciate. When she noticed him she turned, "Can I help you Monsieur?"

Gaston considered pulling down his hood and flashing her his winning smile but something held him back, he wasn't in his twenties anymore, he was in his forties and now that he thought about it there was no reason to flirt with this pretty girl. He didn't know the first thing about her, and he'd just gotten back. No need to get back into old habits.

"May I browse the store Mademoiselle?" he asked after a moment of thought. Now that he was here he may as well take a look around...maybe he'd find a copy of the Odyssey to buy when he made some money. At the moment all he had were the fancy clothes he'd borrowed from the castle. By castle standards it was simple, a burgundy coat, white shirt, knee length white breeches and shiny black boots, all worn under a flashy, black travel cloak. It was the kind of outfit he would have worn to a wedding or other formal occasions, but that Lumiere fellow insisted it was everyday wear.

The girl smiled and nodded. The bookstore didn't get many customers, she couldn't get a good look at his face but he didn't seem like anyone she'd seen in town, come to think of it, he didn't seem the type to come into a small bookstore and look for reading material. The stranger was easily six feet four inches and he looked like he could grapple a bear with his broad chest and strong arms. But his attire was more suited to that of a gentleman than a peasant. She watched him peruse the selection before he picked up a book and walked over to the counter with it.

"How much does this one cost?" he asked. "I don't have the money right now, but if you could hold it for me I'd be grateful."

She nodded, "May I have your name? I'll make a note of it,"

Gaston hesitated, this girl was young, she'd probably been a child when he'd run off to kill the Beast. He doubted she'd know him. so he gave his name. "Just do me a favor and don't go spreading it around town," he'd requested. The shopkeeper had agreed and as she watched him go she couldn't help but be curious, men like that didn't just wander into this provincial town everyday!

As Gaston passed a shop that sold pots and pans he checked his reflection on the surface of one, he drew back the hood just enough to examine his face. The scar was what he noticed first, a long red gash marring his otherwise still handsome features. He didn't really mind as much as he thought he would, the mark would remind him of his time as a beast and serve to keep him grounded in the future when his old habits crept back up on him. He left his hair loose, but still combed it back to make it look a little neater, the grey streaks at his temples didn't detract from his appearance as much as he thought they would. He decided he was pleased to be human again and happy enough not to make any complaints about his face.

Gaston finally made it to the Tavern, by then most of the town had seen him and they were already gossiping about the new stranger.

"I think he's a lord, who else can afford to dress like that?"

"What's he doing here? Is he looking for a wife?"

"I'll bet he's handsome under that hood!"

When he opened the door to the the Tavern he found it just as he'd left it years ago. His chair was still in front of the fireplace and his portrait was still hanging up with all of his many antlers and skins. He frowned when he examined the portrait, when it had been painted he'd loved it, now he didn't know...in the picture his head was thrown back and his chest puffed out like a rooster while he stood with one foot on some conquered animal. He looked so...arrogant. Perhaps he'd request it be taken down later, it was an eyesore. He thought for a moment to rake his claws through the canvas...he shook his head. He didn't have claws any longer, nor tail, nor fangs. It was going to take some getting used to. He felt a bit odd, he wasn't the beast anymore, but he wasn't that man in the painting either...who was he now?

"He was so handsome wasn't he?" said a high-pitched female voice wistfully.

Gaston turned, he thought he recognized the voice but the woman it belong to didn't seem familiar. She look like she was about his age give or take. But it was hard to tell under all her makeup. The woman had caked on thick layers of powder and rouge, she was a bit pudgy looking around the cheeks and arms but her corset had been laced so tightly he wondered how she could breath. Now well judging by her wispy voice. She was blond, some how that seemed familiar to him but he couldn't place this woman's face.

"I suppose," he said puzzling over her for a moment. Now where had he seen her?...

"My sisters and I idolized him but he had his eyes on someone else. Then he disappeared, such a shame...I wanted to marry him, he was so gorgeous."

Then it clicked, this must have been one of the triplets. Her dress was green so she must be...he frowned. What were there names? He couldn't remember, but he was willing to be this was one of them. In spite of her age the woman was still showing off her assets. Her neckline was indecently low, and when she moved he caught a flash of leg.

"Why did you like him so much?" asked Gaston.

"He was simply the best! At everything!" she squealed, "And he was handsome too!"

"And?"

"And what?"

"What else?"

The woman looked confused, as though in her lifetime it had never occurred to her that there was more to someone than looks and talent. "What else could there be?" she asked after thinking it over. Gaston felt sorry for her, it was clear that she hadn't changed in the twenty years he'd been gone.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm called Gigi, over there are my sisters Fifi and Mimi," she pointed to a nearby table, her sisters looked about the same as she did although the one in red had had better luck staying young and pretty looking than the one in the yellow or green.

"Don't any of you have husbands?" he asked.

"Are you joking? After Gaston there's no man that will do," said Gigi, the fact of the matter was that the men in town didn't really want any of them for wives. They all had less than sterling reputations and none of the respectable villagers wanted much to do with them. Some of the villagers were even referring to them as "Gaston's leftovers".

"Oh, well that's too bad," he said edging away from them to sit at the bar.

"Want a drink stranger?" asked the bartender, when LeFou was absent the position was usually filled by a young man named Jean but today it was a woman. She was quiet beautiful if a little wild looking with a thick mass of auburn curls cascading freely down her back. She had nice eyes too...a vibrant green color that he found very appealing.

"I don't have any money with me right now," he said.

"Your credit is still good here," said the woman smoothly as she poured him a drink, "Liking the town?" she asked brushing a curl off of her cheek.

He nodded, the credit statement surprised him, "how do you know my credit's good?"

She gave him a wink, "Same way I know you're a handsome fellow under that hood, were you surprised to learn that life in the town barely hiccuped when you left?"

"Wait- how do you know all this?"

"I know a little about a lot," she wagged a finger at him nonchalantly, "Besides you have the look of someone who's just been on a twenty year Odyssey."

Gaston smiled wryly, "I guess you could say that," he pulled down his hood, the woman smiled at him.

"You really are a good looking fellow," she said, "don't be to torn up about the scar. It adds character."

"You know more than you're letting on, and you're letting on a lot," Gaston frowned at her.

"I do!" she replied cheerfully. Gaston got the impression that there was something otherworldly about her but before he could ask further questions one of the triplets recognized him.

"Oh my lord...He's back!" The yellow one (Fifi?) squealed flouncing over and parking herself on the stool next to him so she could get a better look. He was older but there was no question who it was. "Gaston!"

As soon as she said his name a hush fell over the Tavern. Then there was a great upheaval as everyone scrambled closer for a look.

"Oh my word it _is_ him!"

"We thought you were dead."

"Where'd you get the scar?"

"He's still gorgeous!"

"Where have you been all this time?"

Gaston found himself surrounded by an eager audience, every eye on him and every ear opened to what he had to say. They all wanted to hear his story, he was the center of attention again for the first time in twenty years. He could tell them a marvelous story, keep them on edge all night just like he used to. Instead, he turned back to his drink, "I just went on a long trip, did some thinking and learned a few things. I've got nothing much to tell,"

The crowd was flabbergasted. Gaston wasn't going to regale them with tales of his bravery? He'd been gone twenty years and had nothing to brag about? Unheard of! Impossible! Surely he was joking. But Gaston simply finished his drink, it soon became clear to all that he was not going to say anything. Gaston was going to sit quietly to the side and give up the spotlight today. He gave the bartender a nod and stood. She gave him a knowing smile and took his mug, "Good day to you Monsieur Gaston," she said, as he turned to leave she added under her breath. "Well done."

...

Soon the word that Gaston had returned spread throughout the town and he found that he could not walk through the street without being harassed by people demanding to hear where he'd been. He always replied by telling them that he'd simply wandered around and eventually found his way back to the little town. After about two days of staying at the Inn he couldn't take anymore of their hassling and he returned to the castle. He hadn't really wanted to stay there, even so Belle had forgiven him there was still a lot of animosity between himself and her husband. But he supposed that was to be expected...he had stabbed the man after all. Still, Lynette had told him he could stay until she and her young man got married and he intended to take her up on that offer.

Adam was less than pleased, he kept quiet about it though. It seemed everyone had forgiven him and he knew that Mrs. Potts even liked him. There wasn't much he could do but grit his teeth and hold his temper in check. Although there were times he wasn't certain why he was angered, this Gaston was hardly the same man who had tried so hard to kill him...it had been so long that he nearly forgot himself and couldn't muster the anger. Perhaps it was time to let go...well, he'd see about that.

...

The wedding was still a few days off, Gaston mostly kept to himself when he wasn't looking after Mrs. Potts, he was a bit nervous to show himself to the other members of the castle. He didn't want to provoke any hostilities, although if it came down to a fight he had no doubt that he'd win. Currently he was walking around the grounds, he didn't much like being cooped up inside all day. As he walked around he came across one of the stable boys trying to keep control of a black horse.

"Easy Jafar!" the boy said tugging at the reins. The horse reared and was about to bring his sharp hooves down on the boy when Gaston jerked the lad back. Grabbing the reigns he pulled the horse down.

"Steady there, whoa!" he said, he made soft hissing sounds through his teeth to calm the horse and eventually it worked. The stallion quieted, but it continued to paw the ground and toss it's head.

"This is a nice horse, trying to break him in?" Gaston asked the stable boy. The lad shook his head.

"That horse has been with us for two years now, I don't think he'll ever be completely tame."

Gaston eyed the beast thoughtfully, "It's a fine animal though, I'll wager with the right owner he can learn how to behave," He reached out a cautious hand and patted the horses nose, the horse flattened its ears for a split second then accepted the caress.

"Keep him."

Gaston turned, the King was speaking to him. "Your highness," said Gaston giving him a deferential nod.

"That horse is nothing but trouble, if you think you can train him properly you can keep him," said Adam.

Gaston nodded his thanks, as Adam turned to leave Gaston called to him. There had been something he wanted to ask, something that had been bothering him since his transformation...

"Did you feel like you weren't quite right after you became a human again?"

Adam's brow furrowed, he could see that it was costing Gaston to ask him this question. He couldn't deny he enjoyed it a little, seeing the man so uncomfortable. But at the same time, he understood what Gaston was feeling. The transition from beast to human was not instantaneous. There was always the urge to growl or to use ones claws for months afterward. The dulling of his sense of hearing and smell to bring them back down to human standards could be quite jarring and he imagined the man was still getting used to not having a tail.

"It's quite normal to feel a little odd after you change back."

Gaston nodded slowly, "I feel like I'm not really the Beast or the old Gaston...it's more like I'm the Beast in Gaston's body. Instead of changing back into what I was I became something completely new," he explained. "I don't know how to describe it!"

"Bittersweet and strange?" an ironic smile tugged at Adam's lips as he spoke the words.

"That's perfect."

"Yes, that's to be expected. Take care of that horse," said Adam walking back towards the castle.

Gaston turned back to the horse and smiled, the conversation had been brief but a lot had been said. Gaston knew that he no longer had to worry about the king harboring ill feelings. Although neither man would ever admit it, not even to themselves, there was an understanding between them. Not friendship or camaraderie by any means, just the sort of kinship two who have suffered the same burden form when they find themselves in a world where no one else would understand just what they have gone through. The past was gone and all debts were squared away, each man could part ways and never be concerned for the other again and that suited them both.

...

It wasn't long before Chip and Lynette were married, it was a grand occasion and when the ceremony finished Lynette walked over to Gaston and kissed his cheek. "I suppose I should thank you, if you hadn't been such a dreadful brute and kidnapped me Chip would have taken forever to tell me how he felt," she said. Her new husband rolled his eyes and twirled her into his arms for a dance as the band started to play.

Gaston laughed as he watched them go, the seemed a happy young couple and he was certain that they'd be just fine. He walked over to Mrs. Potts, who was sniffling into her handkerchief. "Are you alright?"

"Right as rain, my dear. I'm so glad I got to see this, I can die happy now."

Gaston frowned, "Just don't die too soon. I still want to come by and see you."

"So you are leaving us then?"

"Aw, come on Mrs. Potts! You know this isn't the kind of lifestyle for me. Much to fancy, I think I may build a nice cabin in the woods. I find that I'm wanting peace and quiet more and more. I'm not used to all the attention they're giving me in town."

"Well that's unheard of, Gaston not wanting attention," Belle chuckled walking up to them. Gaston grinned, Belle looked radiant. Being Adam's wife and Lynette's mother suited her. Although he still found her to be beautiful he no longer had any feelings for her and was much more at ease in her presence than he had been.

"I'm a changed man Belle, I actually bought a book the other day!" well, truthfully he had gone back to purchase the book to talk to the pretty shopkeeper, (he could still flirt if he wanted to!).

"I see, well Gaston I hope you have a happy life from now on," Belle patted his sleeve then went to dance with her husband.

The German prince was happily waltzing the maid who'd been a spoon across the floor. He would be going home soon but he planned to keep in touch with Chip and Lynette.

Gaston was content to stand aside and let the others dance away when someone plucked at his sleeve.

"May I have this dance?"

Turning he recognized the green-eyed bartender from before, she was dressed in a pale, green gown that had little white rosettes adorning the skirt, he wild hair was left unbound to fall freely down her back. She looked otherworldly amongst the rest of the guests. With a wry smile he bowed and held out his arms for her. She put a hand on his shoulder and let him lead her to the floor.

"Come for the wedding or for me?" he asked.

"Both, I just had to see, again, how well you were doing."

"Do you know me well then?" asked Gaston twirling her before pulling her back to his chest. He had a feeling she was teasing him, but he found he didn't mind so much when she was smiling so sweetly at him.

"Well enough, I was worried for a time that you'd never find happiness but you're going the right way now."

"Well...thank you," he said,

The woman smiled and kissed him lightly, pulling a rosette from her dress she tucked it into the lapel of his jacket. "Go live happily ever after like all the others now," she said. The music ended and she was gone. Gaston had a feeling he'd see her again someday. He just hoped it wouldn't be because he'd messed up, taking a last look at the bride and groom he made his way out. It seemed that he _had_ been part of a fairytale, but rather than anger him as it had before he laughed at the thought. It seemed, perhaps, that fairy tales weren't so bad after all...

THE END


End file.
